Fast-tracking the commercial release of the ring-spot virus-resistant papaya (PRSV-R) will result in economic benefits totaling P9.82 billion for consumers and producers in the country.
This will happen if the PRSV-R variant will be commercially released next year, according to a recent publication released by the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (Isaaa). "The larger welfare benefit to consumers is realized due to the decrease in papaya prices in the market brought about by the increase in output," the publication read.
ISAAA estimated that if the PRSV-R is released next year, the economic benefit to consumers is estimated at P5.6 billion while the benefit to producers is valued at P4.2 billion.
A delay of five years, however, could significantly cut the estimated net benefit to around P5.1 billion.
"Investing more in the development and regulatory activities that facilitate the early commercialization of PRSV-resistant papaya technology will result in substantial payoffs to farmers and consumers," the publication said.
The PRSV-resistant papaya technology is estimated to take 12-14 years before it can be commercially released. The discovery and development stages, which include cloning and transformation and further breeding and initial candidate event selection, respectively, have already taken place from 2000 to 2006.
Isaaa noted that further product testing and regulatory compliance is estimated to take another six years. The total development and regulatory costs will amount to at least P29.29 million or an average of P2.66 million per year.
The development cost comprises 44.4 percent of the total cost and regulatory compliance cost, 55.6 percent. The major cost items were personnel services, supplies, and repair and maintenance at the development stage and confined and multilocation field trials at the regulatory phase.
Isaaa noted that the costs of the tests to comply with the regulations contribute substantially to total costs.
The papaya-ring spot virus was first detected in the Philippines in 1982 in the Southern Tagalog and Bicol regions, causing substantial damage to papaya orchards.
With an occurrence of 60 percent to 100 percent, Isaaa noted that PRSV almost wiped out the papaya industry in Southern Tagalog, a major papaya-growing region in the country.
The virus is widespread in Luzon, some parts of the Visayas and?may spread in Mindanao where papayas are grown for export by multinational companies.
The absence of a variety totally resistant to PRSV prompted researchers at the Institute of Plant Breeding, University of the Philippines Los Baños, to develop PRSV-resistant papaya through genetic engineering.
The Philippine government has supported the papaya genetic-engineering project starting in 1998 through the Department of Science and Technology, and Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources Research and Development.
Additional funding support was provided by Isaaa and USAID through the Agricultural Biotechnology Project II.
In terms of area planted in 2000, Isaaa papaya ranks sixth in the Philippines among fruit crops. The country contributes a little over 1 percent of global papaya production, with Brazil and Mexico accounting for 30 percent.
Average yield of papaya in the Philippines is about 14 metric tons per hectare (MT/ha) on small farms and 70 to 90 MT/ha from plantations and commercial farms.
One of the goals of the Isaaa publication was to evaluate the potential benefits of the product to "ensure that investments are focused only in products with the greatest potential to help resource-poor farmers and consumers in partner countries."
Source: businessmirror.com.ph
