Genebank details

The Centre for Pacific Crops and Trees (CePaCT) is the only regional genebank of the Pacific conserving and making available crop and tree diversity, based in Suva, Fiji, and servicing countries of the region in conserving and making available plant genetic resources. CePaCT is internationally recognized by the Global Crop Diversity Trust, the CGIAR Research Institutes, the Plant Treaty, and international and regional research networks as a focal point for Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (PGFRA) in the region. CePaCT currently hosts an in vitro collection of 18 food crops of relevance to the Pacific, including the globally largest ex-situ taro collection. CePaCT also hosts a seed conservation facility mainly focusing on tree species as well as a breadfruit field plot. The Centre has a robust and internationally recognized mechanism in place to test germplasm for pathogens and eliminate them using approved protocols before germplasm distribution. Additionally, to the usual function of a genebank of providing material for conservation and crop development, CePaCT has also a strong focus on distributing of germplasm material for disaster recovery.