IRRI MAY NOW OWN FILIPINO SEEDS THRU NEW LAW ON PLANT VARIETY PROTECTION

Manila, Philippines - 30 October 2002

Farmers' groups in Bohol and Cebu City expressed concern yesterday over the possibility of international organizations like the International Rice Research Institute, in claiming ownership over the country's crop genetic resources brought about by the new Philippine Plant Variety Protection Act or Republic Act 9168.

"The small farmers are opposed to the privatization of their crop genetic resources - they believe this will make difficult their own community efforts in saving their seeds," said Mr. Paul Borja, Project Coordinator
of the Community Biodiversity Development and Conservation Project of the South East Asia Regional Initiatives for Community Empowerment.

The new Philippine Plant Variety Protection Act or Republic ACt 9168, signed by President Arroyo last 7 June 2002, allows intergovernmental organizations like the International Rice Research Institute, to apply for ownership of the rice varieties they are working on to the detriment of the Filipino farmers who depend on these seeds for their livelihood.

What is worse, the new law only allows accredited genebanks like IRRI, to avail of funding support from the Gene Fund, a trust supposedly established to assist efforts in seed conservation and development.

With IRRI's current funding woes with the pull-out of its major funders, the Japanese Government, the famous international rice research center based here in Los Baños, Laguna may resort to exclusive rights provided by the new plant variety protection law as leverage in raising funds for its operations.

IRRI is one of the so-called CG Centers, or the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research or CGIAR, a global alliance of international agricultural research centers, which is having their Annual General Meeting in Manila until 1 November.***