World Potato Congress Endorses CIP Genebank

The 5th World Potato Congress held in Kunming, People's Republic of China, adopted a resolution commending CIP for "establishing an international potato genebank for the benefit of all humanity" while endorsing "public and private sector investments that will maintain the rich diversity of species available in CIP-held collections through Bioandino, the Fund for Andean Biodiversity."

"The resolution was proposed by John Hillman, Director of the Scottish Crop Research Institute, UK, and seconded by Ghislain Pelletier, Vice President of McCain Foods Limited.," said Hubert Zandstra, CIP Director General. "We were delighted the motion passed with enthusiastic acclamation."

Hubert Zandstra, Director General, CIP, at the 5th World Potato Congress

Bioandino seeks to raise funds for supporting the vast collections of potato genetic resources safeguarded at CIP, for the benefit of curators working throughout the Andean region, and for training the next generation of curators.

"The International Potato Center maintains the largest collection of potato genetic resources known to science, including close to 5,200 distinct cultivated types and more than 2,100 wild relatives corresponding to 151 species," said Professor Hillman when proposing the resolution. "The potato accessions maintained in CIP genebanks represent a priceless international resource that must be preserved for the future." He informed the world's potato researchers who had gathered at the Congress that preservation does not come without a cost. The average cost incurred in maintaining a single accession in the genebank is $137 per year, and nearly $20 million is needed to maintain the whole collection over the next two decades.

In his address to the Congress, Hubert Zandstra emphasized the importance of conserving potato genetic resources. "I believe more strongly than ever in the potato's promise, " he said. "Forward thinking researchers at CIP, with support from our donors, have worked hard to collect and characterize the potato's genetic wealth. The results of their efforts are felt every day as scientists use the genetic materials from thousands of traditional, wild, and modern potato varieties to incorporate improvements ranging from drought tolerance and higher pest resistance to better digestibility and more flavor."