In this story:
- Seed charter to strengthen regional integration in food and nutritional security
- Protocol to address seed standards in the region
By Maricho Reporter
ZIMBABWE has signed the Charter establishing the SADC Seed Centre and the Plant Variety Protection Protocol for implementation of the SADC Harmonised Seed Regulatory System which is expected to strengthen regional integration in food and nutritional security.
The protocol seeks to address the variations across SADC member states in national standards and regulations for variety testing, release and registration; seed certification and quality control; and in quarantine and phytosanitary measures for seed, complicate trading of seed across borders and cause difficulties for efficient movement of seed consignments.
The SADC Committee of Ministers Responsible for Agriculture and Food Security agreed to establish the SADC Seed Centre to be located in Lusaka, Republic of Zambia in 2008 and followed up with a decision to establish the SADC Seed Centre two years later.
The SADC Seed Centre coordinates the implementation of the SADC Harmonized Seed Regulatory System (HSRS) working with all 16 SADC Member States to harmonize seed policies and regulations governing seed trade.
The goal of the SADC HSRS is to establish regional standards for seed production and facilitate the trade of high-quality seed across the region, integrating small, isolated markets into one larger SADC-wide market.
As such, Zimbabwe signed the SADC MoU on the Harmonization of Seed Regulatory Systems in November 2021.
“The purpose of this system is the removal of technical barriers on seed movement across borders and streamlining variety release processes to enhance regional seed security. The system outlines harmonized procedures for variety release processes, seed certification and quality assurance as well as quarantine and phytosanitary measures for seed,” Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development, Dr Anxious Jongwe Masuka Minister said.
“This will further consolidate the gains already made in the development of this regional system which will have an immediate positive impact through the enhancement of regional seed, food, feed and nutritional security,” he added.
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Why is seed trade harmonization important? Seed is a fundamental input for crop production, improving agricultural productivity and ensuring food security. It can re-establish the livelihoods of farmers affected by disasters and return them to a life in dignity and financial stability. Access to high-quality, improved seed also facilitates food diversification and prevention of genetic erosion in rural agriculture. There are many barriers to food security. Pest infestations, pervasiveness of fake or sub-standard seed, and climate-related changes that cause droughts and other extreme weather are major culprits. These challenges are further exacerbated when national legislation and regulatory systems prevent the movement of key agricultural inputs, like seed, to help nations recover. Without regional harmonization of seed legislation, a new variety must go through lengthy variety testing and release procedures before that seed can be marketed in each country—and it may only be marketed in that country. This ultimately denies farmers’ access to new seed varieties. Additionally, variations between countries in national standards for seed certification and quality control, as well as quarantine and phytosanitary measures for seed, complicate trading of seed between countries, which becomes detrimental during emergency food crises and discourages further investment by the private sector. The main goal of regional seed policy harmonization is to facilitate the integration of smaller, more isolated markets into one larger market. In the Southern African Development Community (SADC), this has meant developing a set of guidelines for seed production and export that all 16 SADC Member States can agree on. Source: https://www.sadcseedcentre.com/policy-advocacy/sadc-harmonized-seed-regulatory-system-guidelines/ |
Zimbabwe’s vibrant seed industry is already participating in this system through the regional registration and commercial release of many of Zimbabwe’s crop varieties. A number of Zimbabwean seed houses have already established business units in several SADC member states.
“Full operationalization and implementation of this regional seed regulatory framework requires us, as member states, to sign and ratify the Charter Establishing the SADC Seed Centre as well as the SADC Plant Variety Protection (PVP) Protocol. The Charter provides the administrative framework for operationalization of the SADC HSRS. The SADC PVP Protocol provides a framework for the administration of a regional Plant Breeders’ Rights System to encourage Research and Development investment in crop variety development,” the Minister said.
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