Filipino sugarcane planters stand to benefit from a $2-million regional variety improvement program headed by the Philippine Sugar Research Institute Foundation, Inc. (Philsurin).

The CFC/ISO/20: Sugarcane Variety Improvement in Southeast Asia and the Pacific aims to improve and sustain market competitiveness by enhancing the productivity and quality of sugarcane. It was endorsed by the International Sugar Organization in 2000 and is funded by the Common Fund for Commodities. The other participating countries are Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Bangladesh.

The CFC/ISO/20 project pursues its goals through regionally-coordinated germplasm collection, conservation and evaluation, biotechnology-assisted breeding, as well as the improvement of technical research capabilities at national sugarcane breeding institutions.

“the project is on track and we will continue to work on it to ensure that all targets are met,” said Leon Marce, project managers and Philsurin director general.

At a mid-term review meeting held in Kuala Lumpur in May 2003, representatives of the five countries reported that the project was moving forward and that germplasm exchange was efficient and development facilities. Moreover, there was an increase in the transfer of sugarcane technology to consortium members.

Philsurin conducted disease indexing from Oct. 1 to Sept 30, 2003. By the end of January 2004 the variety exchange between member countries was successfully completed.

Another Philsurin activity for the CFC/ISO/20 project is the DNA fingerprinting of sugarcane varieties using microsatellite marker, which helps the breeders determine which varieties of crossbreed. DNA fingerprinting is the process of comparing the DNA sequence of two living organisms while microsatellite markers indicate the presence of a gene of interest such as resistance to smut or downy mildew.

Philsurin-a nonstick, nonprofit organization created to undertake sugarcane research, development and extension functions - is continuously forging partnerships here and abroad to sustain self-sufficiency in sugar.