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BEFORE THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON 



DEPARTMENT OPERATIONS AND NUTRITION 



HOUSE AGRICULTURE COMMITTEE 



HEARING ON PLANT VARIETY PROTECTION ACT 

 AMENDMENTS OF 1993. H.R. 2927 



STATEMENT OF THE NATIONAL POTATO COUNCIL 

 REGARDING INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS FOR POTATOES 



INTRODUCTION 



The National Potato Council (NPC) and Potato Association of America 

 (PAA), support the inclusion of the potato ( Solanum tuberosum subsp. tuberosum ) 

 in the Plant Variety Protection Act (PVPA) under the revisions required by the 

 1991 UPOV Convention. 



The National Potato Council is the only trade association 

 representing 10,500 commercial growers in 50 states. Our growers produce both 

 seed potatoes and potatoes for consumption in a variety of forms. 



The PAA's main objective is the collection and dissemination of the 

 best available technical and practicable information relating to all aspects of 

 potato production and utilization, including breeding, genetics and 

 certification. 



The potato is the fourth most important food crop in the world 

 following rice, wheat and corn. It is also one of the leading crops in 

 productivity on a per acre basis. The potato is grown in almost all the 

 countries in the world and forms the staple of many societies. Close to 300 

 million metric tons are produced annually worldwide. In the United States, it 

 is the leading vegetable crop in acreage and farm value, with 1.3 million acres 

 planted in 1993 yielding 420,000,000 cwt and over 2.6 billion dollars in sales. 

 133 pounds of potatoes are consumed per person per year. The potato is very 

 amenable to biotechnology manipulations (i.e. genetic engineering) and is one of 

 the leading crops in which genetically engineered plants, destined for commercial 

 use, are being field- tested. 



S. 1406 has been amended to include language which brings tuber 

 propagated plants under the Plant Variety Protection Act. The Plant Patent Act 

 currently specifically excludes tuber propagated plants. This amendment to S. 

 1406 was developed in conjunction with the Administration which supports the 

 amendment. We urge that H.R. 2927 be amended to include identical language. 



