Regulatory Status of Gene Editing in the Pacific SIDS by Dr Ramakrishna Akkinapally during the Regional Expert Consultation on Gene Editing in Agriculture and its Regulations Technical Session II

1. Regulatory Status of Gene Editing in the Pacific SIDS
Dr Ramakrishna Akkinapally
Deputy Director General
PNG National Agricultural Research Institute

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5. Important Food and Agriculture Crops
• Bananas and Plantains (Musa spp.)
• Sweet Potato (Ipomoea batatas)
• Taro (Colocasia esculenta) and other Edible Aroids
• Giant swamp taro (Cyrtosperma chamissonis)
• Giant taro (Alocasia macrorhhiza),
• Tannia (Xanthosoma sagittifolium)
• Yam (Dioscorea spp.)
• Cassava (Manihot esculenta)
• Sago Palm
• Breadfruit (Artocarpus altilis) and other Pacific Artocarpus Species
• Irish Potato
• Rice
• Corn
• Wheat

6. •Coconut (Cocos nucifera)
•Coffee
•Cocoa
•Oil Palm
•Rubber
•Spices
•Kava (Piper methysticum)
•Noni (Morinda citrifolia)
•Sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum)
•Betel Nut (Areca catechu)
•Pandanus (Pandanus tectorius)
•Galip nut
Cash Crops

7. Vegetables & Fruits

8. Livestock and Marine Products
• Small Ruminants
• Poultry
• Ducks
• Inland Fisheries
• Beef cattle
• Tuna and others

9. Regulatory Status of Gene Editing in Pacific Business
Partners
• US and Canada regard gene editing as equivalent to traditional
breeding
• European Union new mutagenesis techniques might be regulated
• However, the opinion only refers to ‘mutagenesis’ without explicitly
mentioning gene-editing; and the term ‘recombinant nucleic acids’ is still
open to interpretation.
• NZ Environmental Protection Authority “plants produced via gene
editing methods, where no foreign DNA remained in the edited
plant, would not be regulated as GMOs”
However, following a challenge in the High Court, this decision was overturned
such that NZ currently controls all products of gene editing as GMOs.

10. Statutory regulations in PNG
• PNG governances on biotechnology rely heavily on principles and
concepts established in Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety (CPB)
• The CPB aims to ensure the safe handling, transport and use of GMOs
(called LMOs – living modified organisms – in CPB)
• LMOs are defined “any living organism that possesses a novel
combination of genetic material obtained through the use of modern
biotechnology”
• No specific policy on GMOs ( biosecurity policy is being developed)
• The Colombian government announced that it would not regulate
gene-edited cacao developed by University of California, Berkley with
support from Mars Inc. (PNG has collaboration with Mars inc.)

11. Public understanding of Transgenics & genome editing
• Elicit considerable public misunderstanding and mistrust
• The general public's view is the greatest hurdle of new plant breeding
technologies including genome editing
• Implementation of national biosafety laws is encumbered
• Some experts argue that genome editing require greater scrutiny than
transgenics
• Increasingly outsized influence of civil society campaigns in creating uncertainty
as to the safety of GM foods.
• Ability of scientists to communicate the opportunities afforded by genome
editing for crop improvement
• There is considerable potential that the public may not immediately embrace
genome editing

12. What is Biosecurity in PNG
• “Effective minimization, mitigation and, wherever feasible, prevention
of risks and consequences associated with the emergence,
introduction, establishment and spread of pests and diseases harmful
to animals, plants, humans, biodiversity, the economy and the
environment of PNG and other nations. “ “One Health”- WHO”

13. Priority focus for Biosecurity to Sustain Food Security in PNG
A top priority for dealing with animal and plant pests and diseases
Strengthening national veterinary and plant health services and
animal and plant health systems through capacity building
Improvement of infrastructure, border control, better legislation and
enforcement, and better surveillance
Improving the ability to respond to movements of animal and plant
pests and diseases through increasing preparedness, ensuring
maintenance of expertise and adopting rapid diagnostic tools and
forecasting models.

14. Way forward : R&D
• Identify and scope agri-biotech and SWOT analysis
• Strategy to evaluate the technological strength and identify how
Pacific SIDS can be developed
• Building synergies in agro-biotech
• Building a network of groups and institutions that would work on the
identified themes/issues
• Ideas like Technology bank, Patent Pooling and Clearing House in
agro-biotech should be explored
• Promotion of Joint Research Frontier Areas in non GM Technologies
such as CRISPR, Marker Assisted Selection and Gene Editing
• Research Collaboration in Undertaking Whole Genome Sequence
Mapping of Important Crops
• Open Sourcing and Open Data

15. Way forward: Regulatory Architecture
• Governance of technology calls for cooperation in responding to
rapidly advancing technologies in biosciences
• The North took lead in GM technologies through OECD and despite
the differences they build up the scientific basis for regulation
• Asia-Pacific should do it for post GM and genomics based agri-
biotech through forming of Working Groups and Inter=Agency
Collaboration
• Regional groups and joining in the groups like IBSA or BASIC should
be explored

16. Thank you for your attention