Sharing Rice Data Could Help Millions of Hungry People; Syngenta Decision To Grant Access To Genome Data Major Step In Right Direction 4/4/2002
From: Janet Hodur of the International Food Policy Research Institute, 202-862-8177 WASHINGTON, April 4 -- The following is a statement by Dr. Per Pinstrup-Andersen, director general of the International Food Policy Research Institute and Winner of the 2001 World Food Prize: We commend Syngenta International for opening the door for cutting-edge, privately-funded research to benefit poor people in developing countries. It is extremely important that Syngenta continues its efforts to provide nonprofit organizations, academic institutions, and governments free access to data on the rice genome. We encourage Syngenta to make all relevant data freely accessible in the public domain. Rice provides half of the world's population with 80 percent of their diets. It is a particularly vital food source for Asia, Africa, and Latin America - home to the vast majority of the world's 800 million hungry people. Information provided by the rice genome map, once further understood, will augment scientists' ability to breed improved rice varieties that can benefit poor farmers and consumers in developing countries. It will be several years before the solutions scientists are working on today are in the hands of small-scale farmers. Nevertheless, an international public-private collaboration on mapping the rice genome, like that proposed by Syngenta, could dramatically reduce the time needed to get this technology to the farmers who need it, accelerating efforts to fight hunger and poverty. Policymakers and industry leaders need to work together to ensure future access to information such as the rice genome, to keep research in the public domain for the benefit of developing countries. ------ Dr. Joel Cohen, a visiting research fellow at IFPRI and a leading expert on the science behind agricultural biotechnology, is available for interviews. Please contact: Michael Rubinstein: 202-862-5670, m.rubinstein@cgiar.org Janet Hodur: 202-862-8177, j.hodur@cgiar.org Michele Pietrowski: 202-862-5679, m.pietrowski@cgiar.org The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) seeks sustainable solutions for ending hunger and poverty. IFRPI is one of 16 Future Harvest Centers and receives its principal funding from 58 governments, private foundations, and international and regional organizations known as the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research. Please visit the website at http://www.ifpri.org. |