International Symposium Stresses the Potential of Breadfruit

The First International Symposium on Breadfruit Research and Development, held 16-19 April 2007, in Nadi, Fiji, was attended by over 45 participants from far and wide. This included two from the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), Adelino Lorens, Pohnpei Chief of Agriculture, and Dr. Lois Englberger of the Island Food Community of Pohnpei. Representatives also came from the African continent, Benin, Ghana, Nigeria, and Tanzania), The Seychelles, Caribbean region (Trinidad and Jamaica), Sri Lanka, along with the Pacific (FSM, Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, Kiribati, New Caledonia, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea, Hawaii and Australia).

This meeting was organized by the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) Land Resources Division, Technical Centre for Rural and Agricultural Cooperation, and the Breadfruit Institute, National Tropical Botanical Garden (NTBG) in collaboration with the Technical Centre for Agriculture and Rural Cooperation (CTA), German Technical Cooperation (GTZ), International Centre for Underutilised Crops, Global Facilitation Unit for Under-Utilized species, and the Global Crop Diversity Trust.

Adelino Lorens pointed out that one outcome from the meeting was the realization that breadfruit is such an important food in all these diverse regions, providing food security and offering potential for marketing and income generation. Another significant aspect of breadfruit includes its diversity. Pohnpei was commended for its great diversity of breadfruit varieties.

The grounds of the former "Pohnpei Agriculture Station" in Kolonia are home to a unique collection of breadfruit. These magnificent trees were planted in the late 1950s as part of a regional project to conserve and study breadfruit diversity in the Pacific Islands. This project was coordinated by SPC and numerous varieties from Micronesia, French Polynesia, and Samoa were shared between these island groups. One of those introduced varieties, Meiuhpw en Samoa, has found it way into gardens and farms throughout Pohnpei. Today, two unusual Tahitian varieties (Afara and Piipiia) can still be found in the breadfruit grove at the station, along with Chuukese and Pohnpeian varieties.

The Symposium covered a wide range of themes from Breadfruit in Society to Product Development and Marketing. It was interesting to see that although breadfruit is considered an under-utilized crop, a significant amount of work has been carried out on breadfruit and there is a lot of information to be shared. This is what the meeting was about - sharing experiences and information in breadfruit, and looking at ways in which the future of breadfruit both as a food security crop and as a marketable commodity (domestic and export) could be strengthened.

The keynote address was given by Dr Diane Ragone, Director of the Breadfruit Institute, National Tropical Botanical Garden (NTBG) whose enthusiasm for, and commitment to breadfruit is apparent to all who meet her. Her efforts have ensured that more than 120 varieties from the Pacific are conserved in the world's largest collection of breadfruit (over 200 accessions) at the NTBG in Hawaii.

Some of the conclusions from the meeting were: 1) that an inventory of breadfruit resources should be established in which information on breadfruit can be collected and managed; 2) that work is needed on promoting breadfruit, including its nutrient content and potential health benefits; 3) that product development is needed so that minimally processed breadfruit can be made readily available; and 4) that increased work is needed on sharing of information and planting materials of breadfruit 5) that every effort should be made to secure long-term funding to conserve the globally unique collection at the NTBG in Hawaii.

Thanks are extended to Mary Taylor (SPC) and Diane Ragone (NTBG) for their assistance with this article and to the funding agencies and coordinating committee for the symposium.