Secretary for Agriculture Temarama Anguna-Kamana says the Pacific Agricultural Plant Genetic Resources Network (PAPGREN) meeting continues to highlight the importance of each Pacific Island taking responsibility for preserving and conserving its own resources.

Anguna-Kamana and the Crops Research Division director William Wigmore are in Fiji this week attending the Pacific Agricultural Plant Genetic Resources Network meeting.

Speaking to the Pacific Community (SPC), Anguna-Kamana shared how important such meetings are for the region.

She said there are some traditional varieties of trees and crops that no other country has, so it is important to maintain these trees.

Anguna-Kamana said the Centre for Pacific Crops and Trees (CePaCT) with SPC provides an opportunity for countries to preserve or conserve their resources by sending them to CePaCT for safekeeping.

“If the country requires it, we can access those resources to build our stocks at home,” she said.

“I think there also needs to be a focus on capacity within the country in training necessary staff for breeding programmes.”

Anguna-Kamana said that the Cook Islands hopes the meeting will provide opportunities for the Agriculture Ministry staff to learn about conservation. “But also, as a way to increase the resources that we have, that can be shared to the farmers so that we never lose any of our vegetables,” she said.

She said the meeting illustrates the partnership the Ministry has with SPC and helps Pacific Island countries to preserve and conserve traditional agricultural resources.

According to SPC, since its establishment, the Pacific’s gene bank CePaCT, has been dynamic in its role in conserving the region’s important Plant Genetic Resources and making them available for all Pacific Island countries and territories.

CePaCT currently conserves over 2300 accessions of 70 crop and tree species in their facilities in Suva, Fiji. The Centre has distributed 97,000 plant tissue cultures of 15 crops and more than 1000 kilograms of seeds to 50 countries.