31  March 2015

Suva, Fiji – Almost 70 new varieties of potato and sweet potato will soon be available to Pacific Island countries and territories, to improve food security across the region.

The Secretariat of the Pacific Community’s (SPC’s) Centre for Pacific Crops and Trees (CePaCT), based in Suva, Fiji, has received 42 new potato varieties as tissue cultures that are sub-tropical, heat-tolerant and resistant to some potato viruses.

Potato is becoming one of the most consumed crops in the Pacific Islands region, with some countries and territories beginning to grow potatoes, while Fiji imports FJD 17 million of potatoes ever year.

The new potato varieties originate from Peru, while the sweet potato tissue cultures are also mainly from Peru including Argentina, Bolivia and Ecuador.

Accessing new, adaptable and resilient hybrids will assist countries and territories with import substitution to improve food security. 

The Centre also received tissue cultures of 27 advanced hybrid sweet potato varieties, all of which have orange and purple flesh that are high in nutrients and antioxidants to help improve wellbeing and diets in Pacific communities

, SPC Genetic Resources Coordinator, Valerie Tuia, said.

The fast-growing and early-maturing sweet potato varieties are an ideal crop in disaster rehabilitation efforts and food security programmes, although we’re currently preparing other varieties for distribution in the coming weeks to areas impacted by Cyclone Pam

, she said.

In Cook Islands, Niue and Samoa these orange and purple varieties are very popular for the tourist market and they will support smallholder farmers supplying this market.

A growing demand by Pacific countries and territories for disease-resistant and nutrient-rich crop diversity, that is suitable for a tropical climate, prompted CePaCT to continue sourcing new, improved varieties from its partners in the Consultative Group of International Agriculture Centres (CGIAR).

The new crops were acquired from the International Potato Centre based in Peru, one of CePaCT’s partner institute in the CGIAR group. The materials are part of the global genepool of the multilateral system of the FAO International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture in collaboration with the Global Crop Diversity Trust.

SPC’s strategic partnership with the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade enables SPC to source, multiply and distribute new resilient crop diversity to support community food security projects in the Pacific.

The Fiji Biosecurity Authority of Fiji also provides valuable support to SPC’s  work by facilitating provision of import permits using international standards so Pacific countries can access these new varieties.

Media contact

Valerie S. Tuia, SPC Genetic Resources Coordinator, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.+679337 9274

Logotonu M. Waqainabete, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. +679337 9273

SPC Land Resources Division helpdesk, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.%20">This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Photo captions:

1. Cultures were inspected and released by Dr Visoni Timote, Plant Pathologist and Manager Standards, Policy and Compliance, and Joseva Takiveikata, Biosecurity Officer of BAF, with CePaCT Curator, Logotonu Waqainabete.