Our team at @Tropic is pleased to share the news that our non-browning banana received a non-GMO exemption decision from Philippines Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Plant Industry. This is the first gene-edited product to go through the Philippine’s newly defined gene editing regulatory determination process. With this determination the Tropic non-browning can be freely imported and propagated in the Philippines..
Tropic’s Chief Technology Officer Dr. Ofir Meir stated, “The Philippines government has implemented a science-based, transparent, and efficient process for assessing the safety of gene-edited plants. This is exactly the type of system that encourages companies like Tropic to invest in innovative technologies to develop sustainable solutions for Filipino farmers.”
Tropic’s non-browning bananas have the potential to significantly reduce food waste and CO2 emissions along the supply chain by more than 25%, as over 60% of exported bananas go to waste before reaching the consumer. This innovative product can support a reduction in CO2 emissions equivalent to removing 2 million passenger vehicles from the road each year.
Tropic plans to introduce several important products in the Philippines over the next decade, starting with the non-browning banana. The Philippines is the top producer and exporter of bananas in Southeast Asia, but its global market share has decreased due to the prevalence of Panama disease Tropic Race 4, which threatens 80% of global banana production. Tropic is using gene editing technology to develop disease-resistant bananas that can solve for Panama Disease Tropical Race 4. The clear and predictable regulatory framework for gene-edited products established by the Filipino government will encourage investment and R&D in the country’s banana sector.
At Tropic, we are driven by the impact of our work, specifically by improving the livelihood of growers and developing plant varieties which address our planet’s most pressing challenges.
About Tropic
Tropic is a pioneering agricultural-biotechnology company dedicated to the development of healthier, more robust, high-performing varieties of tropical crops with a vision to becoming a world leading technology-forward seed business. The company’s core crop portfolio focusses on banana, coffee and rice, which together provide a source of livelihood to over half a billion people worldwide. The booming population brings a drastic food security and supply crisis which is intensified by climate change and economic factors.
Tropic is working closely with growers to address these critical pressures and, in doing so, promotes consumer wellbeing and positive grower economics, while addressing crop stability and unmet nutritional needs. The company’s core mission is developing sustainable crop products better suited to the local growing environment but also easier to cultivate, more profitable for farmers and healthier for consumers – thereby benefitting the entire food supply chain.
