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PDF
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Type:
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Working Paper |
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Author:
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Tripp, Robert; Louwaars, Niels P.; Van Der Burg, W. Joost; Virk, D.S.; Witcombe, J.R. |
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Date:
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1997 |
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Agency:
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Overseas Development Institute, London |
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Series:
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Agricultural Research and Extension Network Paper, no. 69 |
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URI:
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https://hdl.handle.net/10535/4581
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Sector:
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Agriculture |
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Region:
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Subject(s):
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agriculture--developing countries
regulation
seeds
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Abstract:
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"This paper summarises the findings of a recently
completed project which examined the conduct of seed
regulation in developing countries and produced a set
of guidelines for seed regulatory reform. The three
areas of seed regulation included in the study were:
public sector plant breeding (particularly the
management of variety testing); variety regulation
(registration, performance testing and release); and
seed quality control (seed certification and seed
testing). Adjustment to seed regulatory frameworks is
necessary because of significant changes in national
seed systems. These changes include: reductions in
budget for public agricultural research; the failure of
many seed parastatals; increasing concern about
plant genetic diversity; pressure for the establishment
of plant variety protection; the increasing
contributions of commercial seed enterprises; and the
emergence of innovative local level variety
development and seed production initiatives.
There are a variety of reasons why current public
seed regulation is unsatisfactory. It is not efficiently
organised, often uses inappropriate standards, does
not offer opportunities for farmer and seed producer
participation, and is not sufficiently transparent. At
the same time there are a number of options for
regulatory reform. In plant breeding, more emphasis
should be placed on decentralising variety testing,
breeding for particular niches, and making site
selection, trial management and analysis more
representative of farmers' conditions. In variety
regulation, simpler registration procedures are
required, and the demands of plant variety protection
should not be allowed to bias or limit the development
and use of public and farmer varieties. Variety
performance testing for release should be made more
flexible. In seed quality control, standards should be
re-examined for their relevance to particular farming
conditions, and much of the responsibility for
monitoring seed quality should be passed to seed
producers and merchants, accompanied by well defined
public oversight and enforcement
mechanisms."
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