As part of an official visit to Lima, Peru this week, Japan’s Prince Akishino and his wife, Princess Kiko, made a stop last Tuesday at the International Potato Center (CIP) Headquarters.
They visited the Hubert Zandstra Biodiversity Complex, CIP’s earthquake-proof genebank featuring state-of-the-art conservation chambers and associated facilities that conserve the world’s largest collection of potato and sweetpotato germplasm, as well as an extensive collection of Andean roots and tubers.
In his remarks to Prince and Princess, CIP’s Acting Director General David Theriault noted that the construction of the Biodiversity Complex was made possible by a generous donation from the Government of Japan and expressed CIP’s continued gratitude for this support.
Head of Genebank, David Ellis presents CIP’s potato collection to Their Highnesses
The members of the Japanese royal family are visiting Peru this week to take part in events commemorating the 140th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Andean country and Japan.