Bridges Trade BioRes • Volume 6 • Number 18 • 20th October 2006

INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE FOCUSES ON FUTURE OF RICE

INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE FOCUSES ON FUTURE OF RICE

A mega-conference in New Delhi, India, recently debated a multitude of issues related to rice, including the role of biotechnology, trade, poverty alleviation and the growing impact of climate change on cultivation. At the meeting, ministers from nine Asian countries adopted a declaration on cooperation in the field of rice research and development, recognising the importance of rice in meeting the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Meanwhile, the international World Food Day was celebrated on 16 October, focusing on the theme of "investing in agriculture for food security."

Delhi conference stresses role of biotechnology

The Second International Rice Congress was held in New Delhi, India, from 9-13 October. It attracted over 1000 participants — representing governments, scientists, traders and farmers — under the theme of "Science, technology, and trade for peace and prosperity". Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh opened the conference, calling for solutions to hunger and malnutrition.

Rice is the main staple food for over half of the world’s population and is of particular importance to those living in poverty. Many Asian countries face a continuing struggle to produce the rice they need to feed their growing populations.

During the many sessions of the conference — which included a science segment where more than 900 research papers were presented — participants considered the role of biotechnology as a solution to generating more resistant, nutritious rice breeds with better storage qualities. However, challenges related to biotechnology were also highlighted, and a workshop on biosafety called for rationalised regulation of GM technologies. Safety concerns over GM rice have made headlines in recent weeks following the discovery of biotech rice not approved for human consumption in US shipments to the EU and Japan (see Bridges Trade BioRes, 8 September 2006). In terms of patenting, Director-General of the International Rice Research Institute Robert Zeigler said germplasm and research tools should not be patented, only the final product.

In terms of trade, participants noted the role of niche products, such as aromatic rice varieties. They said productivity increases had increased the trade in these products. They also supported the use of ‘geographical indications’ (GIs) to distinguish products such as basmati rice on the market. GIs are used to identify the country or region where the quality, reputation or other characteristic of a product is essentially attributable to the geographical region. Participants felt that GIs provided a "scientific" basis for defining the specific qualities of their products, making differentiation possible. They also noted that overall, government intervention is strong in the rice sector both in terms of subsidies for, among other, research and development, and in terms of keeping tariffs on rice. At the WTO agriculture negotiations, many developing countries –including India — are lobbying to keep high tariffs on "special" products such as rice, which they feel need protection from international competition. The rationale is that these products are special because of their contribution to the livelihoods of small and vulnerable farmers. Japan, on the other hand, represents a developed country taking a hard stance in favour of safeguarding domestic rice production through high tariffs. Japan would like to carve out special conditions for rice by designating it a "sensitive" product at the WTO.

Environmental issues were also on the agenda. Specifically, climate change and climate variability were highlighted as a real threat to rice production, and participants called for adaptation strategies. For example, they highlighted the different needs for irrigation that rice cultivation faces in different geographic regions, and which (rain-fed) areas are most naturally suited for rice cultivation. As rain patterns change, countries may need to consider irrigation options.

On 10 October, agriculture ministers from China, Indonesia, Laos, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Vietnam and India adopted a declaration on cooperation among Asian countries to safeguard environment, food and nutritional security, following discussions on issues such as trans-boundary migration of pests, adaptation to climate change, and the sharing of knowledge and germplasm. The ministers confirmed their commitment to intellectual property rights as per the WTO Agreement on Trade-related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS), and the need to address the MDGs. Noting that farmers are pressured to produce more at lower costs, they agreed to establish a partnership on rice research and development.

World Food Day seeks solutions to hunger

FAO Director-General Jacques Diouf also highlighted actions to fulfil the MDGs on the international World Food Day on 16 October. He stressed the role of investment in agriculture to ensure food security: "Increasing the volume of public investment in agriculture but also making it more effective are of absolute necessity. One major mechanism is the Global Donor Platform for Rural Development, a consortium of 26 development agencies, which seeks to improve donor aid effectiveness and focus action on achieving the Millennium Development Goals."

Also on World Food Day, Director-General Diouf signed an agreement on behalf of the Governing Body of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (PGRFA) with research centres belonging to the Consultative Group on International Agriculture Research (CGIAR) around the world, which hold 600 000 samples of agricultural genetic material. This material will now be available to researchers under standard conditions. Currently, world food production is vulnerable to diseases and climate change, as only a few species of uniform genetic quality provide the majority of the world’s food.

Additional resources:

For further information see http://www.icar.org.in/irc2006/.

To access the ministerial Delhi Declaration of the International Rice Conference 2006, see http://www.icar.org.in/irc2006/ircmedia/DelhiDeclaration.pdf.

"World Food Day 2006 targets public and private investment," FAO RELEASE, 16 October 2006; "Worlds most important gene banks now under international plant genetic resources treaty," FAO RELEASE, 16 October 2006; "Rice patents may hamper research," FINANCIAL EXPRESS, 15 October 2006; ICAR PRESS RELEASES, 7-13 October 2006.