August 2014: Japan has notified the Secretariat of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGR) about the inclusion of almost 18,000 samples of crop and forages into the Treaty’s Multilateral System (MLS) of Access and Benefit-sharing (ABS) and the publication of its associated data, adding value to that material for breeders and researchers.

Japan became a party to the Treaty on 28 October 2013. The 18,000 samples, maintained by the genebank of the National Institute of Agrobiological Sciences in Japan, correspond to more than 20 crops and forages included in Annex I of the ITPGR. The Institute has also set up a dedicated website where users can get detailed data on the composition of the collections and on the facilitated procedures to order the material.

“This notification is significant and demonstrates Japan’s contribution to the implementation of the International Treaty and to plant breeding globally,” said ITPGR Secretary, Shakeel Bhatti. “It is not just about the quantity of the accessions, but also about the type of material included; in this case, the amount and quality of the associated information provided together with the online ordering options brings an important added value,” he added. [ITPGR News Release]