Multilateral System and Standard Material Transfer Agreement of

the ITPGRFA: Implications and Scope for Regional Cooperation

Case of Pakistan(August 27, 2015)

Abdul GHAFOOR,ghafoor59pk@yahoo.comPlant Genetic Resources Institute (PGRI)

National Agricultural Research Centre, Park Road, Islamabad, PAKISTAN

Area: 803,940 sq km (>180 million): Coordinates: 33.67° N, 73.17° E

Climate: Hot (dry desert), temperate (northwest), arctic (north)

GDP growth rate: 4.14% (2014) Agriculture in GDP: 21.6%

Population growth rate: 1.49% (2014)

Animal Sciences

Crop Sciences

Natural Resources

Social Sciences

Scientific Information

Agricultural Engineering

National

Agricultural

Research

Center

(NARC)

http://www.parc.gov.pk/narc.html

Plant Genetic Resources

Institute

Exploration

Seed preservation & gene bank

Evaluation

In-vitro preservation

Seed health

Documentation

National Genebank of Pakistan

GENEBANKIn-Vitro Conservation Clonal Repository

Plant Genetics Resources for Food & Agriculture (PGRFA)

PGRFA DiversityPGR

distribution & utilization

Food Security

Agricultural crops and their wild relatives (64 crop species)

No nation is self-sufficient in PGR for meeting requirements

Diversity has linearity with crop improvement

Better crops for food security – a Global Agenda

Cereals 10479Wheat (Triticum aestivum) 3,514

Barley (Hordeum vulgare) 1,277

Oats (Avena sativa/fatua) 559

Rice (Oryza sativa) 2,854

Maize (Zea mays) 587

Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) 947

Millets (Pennisetum glaucum) 741

Psudo/other -cereal 44

Buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum) 41

Food Legumes 5,412Chickpea (Cicer arietnum) 2,112

Lentil (Lens culinaris) 819

Mungbean (Vigna radiata) 718

Mashbean (Vigna mungo) 940

Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) 260

Lobia (Phaseolus vulgaris) 139

Vicia species (Avina sativa) 189

Moth (Vigna acontifolia) 67

Matri (Lathyrus species) 168

Oilseeds 5,998Oilseeds (Brassica species) 3,368

Groundnut (Arachis hypogaea) 772

Soybean (Glycine max) 300

Sunflower (Helianthus annuus) 184

Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius) 849

Sesame (Sesamum indicum) 424

Other Oilseeds 101

Others/Misc. 11,210Fodder and Forages 620

Fibre Crops 4,395

Vegetables 4,388

Medicinal Plants 1,807

Total: 3,3143

Germplasm

Status in the

National

Genebank ,

Plant Genetic

Resources

Institute,

Pakistan

(August, 2015)

PART -IV - THE MULTILATERAL SYSTEM OF ACCESS

AND BENEFIT-SHARING

Article 10 Multilateral System of Access and Benefit-

sharing

Article 11 Coverage of the Multilateral System

Article 12 Facilitated access to plant genetic resources

for food and agriculture within the Multilateral System

Article 13 Benefit-sharing in the Multilateral System

MLS and STMA of the ITPGRFA

Multilateral System (MLS)

Sovereign rights of States over their own PGRFA,

the authority to determine access to those

resources rests with national governments and is

subject to national legislation.

Facilitate access to PGRFA, and to share, in a fair

and equitable way.

Commodity research programs & NARS (provincial and federal research institutes)

Academia (public and private)

Abroad (CGIAR system, research institutes and universities)

PGRI Collaboration, MLS &

SMTA

Country-wise (2011-2015)

Pakistan 46,600

Norway 1,806

Tunisia 974

Canada 778

Philippines 500

Syria 197

Japan 107

China 51

UK 14

Napal 2

Thailand 2

51,031

2010 5,631

2011 8,337

2012 12,831

2013 9,015

2014 12,736

2015 (August) 2,481

51,031

Germplsm Distribution

4705

1000

957

479

353

351297

263 238

219

190

141

6652

39 31

30

2723

21USA

CIAT

Misce (local)

Australia

Misc. (Exotic)

Germany

Sweden

CIMMYT

ICARDA

France

Canada

Netherlands

China

Germplsm Acquisition (5 y)

Svalbard 3,091

ICARDA 974

IRRI 500

Total 4,565

Safe duplication

Use of PGR for R & D in Pakistan

Research purpose

Applied and basic research 181

Basic (biotechnology, genetics) 915

Genetics and applied research 65

PGR used for crop breeding

Crop Varieties characters

Rice Basmati 385, Kashmir basmati Yield, early

Maize Pk-0000335, Pk-0003358,

Pk-0003058

Plant type,

early

Wheat Pk-0018170, Pk-0018188 Drought

Mungbean NCM 209 Yield

Black gram Mash 1, Mash 2, Mash 3

Pk-45921

Yield potential

Dual season

Chickpea Punjab 2000, Bittal, Dasht,

NIFA 88

Yield and

blight tolerant

Development of disease tolerant

cultivars using indigenous PGR

Crop Characters of interest Varieties

Mungbean ULCV 98-CMH-016, BRM- 195

Blackgram Charcoal rot 45718, 45719, 45721,

45731

ULCV VH 9440039-3, ES- 1

Lentil Rust tolerant 40688, 40757, 40787

Cowpea BICMV 27168, 27192

Pea Powdery mildew Pk–10603, Pk– 10628

‘‘Facilitated access’’ to plant genetic resources: does it work?Asmund et al., Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution, DOI 10.1007/s10722-013-0029-6

Multilateral System and Standard

Material Transfer Agreement of the

ITPGRFA

Implications and Scope for Regional Cooperation

Implications

Germplasm is never enough!

No nation is self sufficient in PGR diversity to ensure

food security, inter-dependency required.

Regional cooperation is the strength to cope hunger

in Climate Resilient South Asia including natural

disasters & growing population.

Regional cooperation in PGR

exchange, evaluation, and utilization.

Climate change demands more diverse PGR, only

possible through MLS among various nations.

Scope for Regional Cooperation

Pakistan maintains >30,000 accessions of 200 crop

species.

All the crops annexed in ITPGRFA and conserved in the

National Genebank or available in country are free to

exchange on bilateral and multilateral system.

Germplasm distribution form (www.parc.gov.pk)

STMA form duly signed by both the parties

The SAARC countries may initiate regional network for PGR

collection, exchange, evaluation and utilization.

Bio-piracy! Should be protected prior to contribute.

Agricultural rehabilitation in case of natural disaster through

regional cooperation.

Utilization of PGRFA under the MLS shall be monitored and

shared fairly and equitably as per ITPGRFA article 13.

Public awareness be enhanced on International

commitments including ITPGRFA, CBD and GPA.

SAARC seed bank? Yet to revisit for regional

utilization. Seed or germplasm!

Financial support!

Role of SAARC Secretariat.

FOOD CROPS

1- Breadfruit, 2- Asparagus, 3- Oat, 4- Beet, 5- Brassica complex, 6- Pigeon Pea, 7- Chickpea, 8- Citrus, 9- Coconut, 10- Major aroids, 11- Carrot, 12-

Yams, 13- Finger Millet, 14- Strawberry, 15-Sunflower, 16- Barley, 17- Sweet

Potato, 18- Grass pea, 19- Lentil, 20- Apple, 21- Cassava, 22- Banana, 23-

Rice, 24- Pearl Millet, 25- Beans, 26- Pea, 27- Rye, 28- Potato, 29-

Eggplant, 30- Sorghum, 31- Triticale, 32- Wheat, 33- Faba Bean, 34-

Cowpea, 35- Maize

LEGUME FORAGES

36- Astragalus, 37- Canavalia, 38- Coronilla, 39- Hedysarum, 40- Lathyrus,

41- Lespedeza, 42- Lotus, 43- Lupinus, 44- Medicago, 45- Melilotus, 46-

Onobrychis, 47- Ornithopus, 48- Prosopis, 49- Pueraria, 50- Trifoliump

GRASS FORAGES

51- Andropogon, 52- Agropyron, 53- Agrostis, 54- Alopecurus, 55-

Arrhenatherum, 56- Dactylis, 57- Festuca, 58- Lolium, 59- Phalaris, 60-

Phleum, 61- Poa, 62- Tripsacum,

OTHER FORAGES

63- Atriplex, 64- Salsola

Distribution of PGRFA within country and

abroad as when and where requested.

Awareness among the stake holders through

seminars, training workshop and post-

graduate students’ training.

National Information Sharing Mechanism

(NISM) on PGRFA. (http://www.fao.org/docrep/013/i1500e/pakistan.pdf.)

Capacity building in relation to all aspects of

the ITPGRFA in Pakistan.

National commitments

Acknowledgements

South Asia Watch on Trade, Economics and

Environment (SAWTEE)

FNI, Norway

Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC)

Governments of Nepal and Pakistan

Farmers, CGIAR system and international genebanks

for collection and acquisition of genetic resources