Asian Nations Launch Regional Forum to Breed Climate-Resilient Potatoes as Disease Pressure Mounts

Researchers from eight Asian countries — Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Nepal, the Philippines, and Vietnam — convened in Hanoi on October 2, 2026, to launch a new regional forum on root and tuber crop production systems, with a strong focus on potato breeding for climate resilience and disease resistance. The initiative, formally established after four days of meetings and field visits in Vietnam, responds to mounting pressure from climate change and the spread of diseases that threaten potato production across the region. Delegates highlighted the urgent need for varieties that can withstand these challenges, proposing joint research ideas and developing a short-term action plan in Hanoi to serve as the foundation for subsequent collaborative activities.

The forum’s agenda centered on priority research in potato variety selection and innovations in breeding technology. Beyond breeding programs, delegates engaged in detailed exchanges on the ARC technology — a method for propagating potatoes through shoot cuttings — covering G0 seed production, tissue culture domestication, mother plant selection, and the management of plant cuttings. Before the Hanoi sessions, participants visited the Potato, Vegetable and Flower Research Center in Da Lat to observe Vietnam’s production and post-harvest practices, and later examined a rice-potato farming model at Nam Cường Cooperative in Ninh Bình Province, where approximately 1,600 farming households participate. There, delegates learned about seed potato import and selection, community cold storage systems, low-emission rice cultivation, and mechanized composting of rice straw for potato production. The initiative aligns with the CGIAR Capacity Sharing Accelerator’s direction toward more equitable, needs-based partnerships rather than traditional one-way training. Dr. Trần Minh Tiến, deputy director of the Vietnam Academy of Agricultural Sciences, emphasized the importance of strengthening regional cooperation and expertise exchange to address shared agricultural challenges. The forum’s initial phase is scheduled to run from August 2026 to April 2027, with online exchanges planned to review progress and mobilize further resources.