Overview
- INIA, under Peru’s Midagri, completed the placement of 25 native chili pepper seed samples in the Svalbard Global Seed Vault in October 2025.
- Samples span four Capsicum species—C. chinense, C. frutescens, C. baccatum and C. annuum—and include ají amarillo, ají panca, ají charapita and peppers.
- NordGen supported the shipment and safeguarding process, working with Peruvian authorities to ensure the seeds met the vault’s requirements.
- INIA selected and prepared the lots through a quality ‘refreshing’ process and strict international protocols to enable future regeneration and breeding for climate resilience.
- The Svalbard facility stores over 1.3 million seed samples deep inside an Arctic mountain, complementing Peru’s own germplasm collections, including more than 17,000 accessions and over 400 ají entries at INIA.