News

The Georgian delegation participated in the session of the International Treaty of the UN Steering Committee on Food and Agriculture

Levan Ujmajuridze, Director of the LEPL Scientific-Research Center of Agriculture, National Coordinator of Plant Genetic Resources, and Tamar Jinjikhadze, Head of the Center's Standards, Certification, Planning and Economic Analysis Division, Seed Genebank Manager, participated in the 11th Session of the Steering Committee of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources (ITPGRFA) of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the regional meetings of representatives of European countries, held in Lima, Peru, on November 22-29, 2025. Georgia joined the above-mentioned treaty in 2019.

At the opening of the session, a documentary film was presented, which reflected Georgia's experience in protecting the genetic resources of Georgian plants and the practice of placing seeds of local varieties in Georgia in the Svalbard Global Seed Vault.

The session, which was attended by delegations from Europe, Asia, Australia, Africa, South and North America, discussed policies for the conservation and sustainable use of plant genetic resources, farmers' rights and mechanisms for their protection, strengthening the global information system; assessing the functioning of the Multilateral System (MLS), the impact of climate change on plant genetic resources, and other important issues. Presentations at thematic meetings held in parallel with the session focused on Genebank standards, quality management, and the involvement of scientific research, teaching universities, and academic circles in them. The employees of the Scientific-Research Center also got acquainted with the large-scale exhibition of agricultural crops and technologies presented in the exposition space.

During the working visit, the Director of the Center, Levan Ujmajuridze, held meetings with the Director of the International Potato Center, Simon Heck, and the President of the National Institute of Agrarian Innovation of Peru, Jorge Juan Ganoza Roncal. The issues of future scientific and practical cooperation between the two countries were discussed at the meetings. During the visit to the International Potato Center (CIP), Georgian scientists were introduced to the infrastructure of the potato Genebank, in vitro tissue culture collections, and modern cryopreservation technologies. It is noteworthy that the Scientific-Research Center of Agriculture has been closely cooperating with the International Potato Center for years. New, promising potato clones, including those resistant to cancer, selected from the material provided by them are being successfully tested in various regions of Georgia.

Georgia's participation in the Steering Committee meeting of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources (ITPGRFA) will make a significant contribution to strengthening the country's overall genetic resources policy and expanding international cooperation. The experience and contacts gained will strengthen future cooperation with both the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and international scientific institutions.

It is also worth noting the initiative of the Crop Trust ( Global Crop Diversity Trust), a global fund for agricultural crop diversity, to hold a regional meeting in Georgia, the main topics of which will be plant genetic resources documentation, databases, and the implementation of the GRIN Global information system.

On June 2-4, 2026, the Steering Committee meetings of the European Cooperative Program for Plant Genetic Resources (ECPGR) will be held in Georgia, organized by the Scientific-Research Center of Agriculture.