The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations says it's considering changing the way it purchases seedlings for food production, given its rising cost.
FAO's Policy officer, Daneshwar Poonyth, says the FAO has often purchased seedlings from all over the world for distribution.
But he says discussions are underway as to whether it would be best to focus on sourcing seeds within each region, as the cost of seedlings is definitely going up.
"FAO had been getting involved in purchasing seeds from everywhere across the world with the seed suppliers. But in some cases, since yknow like we're dealing in some cases with roots, and sweet potatoes and some of these will be sourced in the region and others will be sourced outside the region."
The FAO has assisted 14 Pacific countries with their priority agriculture needs helping thousands of small farmers boost food production of staple foods, root crops, vegetables and livestock.
