First AFSTA Congress gains strong support from seedsmen.

The first congress of the African Seed Trade Association held in Cairo, Egypt, on March 24-26, 2001, was a resounding success, as was evident from participation by some 262 delegates and guests from 40 countries. The event brought together seedsmen from Africa, Europe, USA, Australia, Asia and the Middle East

Support for this new regional association was reinforced by the presence and active participation of representatives from various international bodies:

• Dr. Rolf Jördens, Vice Secretary-General of UPOV (The International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants)
• Dr. Jean-Marie DeBois, Head of the OECD Seed Schemes
• Dr. Bernard Le Buanec, Secretary-General of FIS (The International Seed Testing Federation)
• Dr. Michael Muschick, Executive Officer of ISTA (International Seed Testing Association)
• Dr. Gary Beil, President of AOSCA (Association of Seed Certifying Agencies)
• Dr. Michael Larinde, Agricultural Officer of the FAO Various research institutes and development agencies.

At the founding congress in Pretoria, South Africa, in March 2000, the General Assembly accepted the invitation by Egypt to host the first annual congress of the Association. The event was organized by ESAS, the Egyptian Seed Association, and held under the auspices of His Excellency: Prof. Dr. Youssef Waly, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Agriculture and Land Reclamation, and with the support of a large number of officials from different ministries of the government of Egypt. The congress was financially supported by Bayer, Misr-Pioneer and GTZ, as major sponsors with additional assistance from AMC and NBC.

The opening ceremony was held in the facilities of the Ministry for Agriculture and Land Reclamation where several keynote speakers delivered presentations. Delegates and guests were welcomed by the Chairman of ESAS, Dr. Samir El-Naggar, and the President of AFSTA, Mr. Nathaniel Tum.

The following are excerpts of presentations by keynote speakers:

“Egypt is part of Africa. Better agricultural production depends upon the provision of improved seed”
(Prof. Dr. Mamdoh Sharf El-Den, Technical Advisor to the Ministry of Agriculture).

"The African continent has not really played its role. It is important to be competitive in agricultural production. Development in the seed trade is increasing rapidly. The importance of cooperation between African countries in seed industry matters cannot be over-emphasized".
(Eng. Farouk Affifi, Chairman: Egyptian Agricultural Engineers Syndicate).

“Seed progress equals agricultural progress, including animal production. Egypt has had substantial success in increasing production of sugar cane and rice. Secondary crops which used less water are wheat, maize and sorghum and despite significant yield increases, more progress is still required in this area. Regional organizations have an important role to play in removing trade barriers between member countries”.
(Eng. M. Sayed Abou El-Omsan, First Under-Secretary: Ministry of Economy).

In his opening speech, read by Dr. Saad Nassar, Chairman of the ARC, Minister Waly states:

“Egypt has increased its crop production threefold since the early 1980s. Cereal production increased from 8 to 18.5 million MT, with wheat increasing from 2 to 6.7 million MT, raising self-sufficiency for the country from 25 to 55 per cent. Africa needs more seed production and the private sector is expected to contribute strongly. Egypt has put privatization into place for seed production, although some crops are still managed by Government. A special administrative section for seed production has been established (CASP), as well as a national committee for seed certification (CASC). Variety release is by Ministerial decree, the private sector participates in variety registration committees, and the test period has been shortened. National gene banks for indigenous varieties have been set up.

AGERI, the Agricultural Genetic Engineering Research Institute is making substantial progress, especially with developing pest and disease resistant varieties which will decrease the use of pesticides. An effective National Biosafety Committee is overseeing research, trials and release. The Agricultural Research Centre has linked up with CGIAR which has 16 international centres of research, and cooperation with other countries and institutions enjoy priority. Genetically improved seeds are approved for import if they also enjoy approval in their countries of origin. Provision is being made for protection of plant varieties under an intellectual property rights system, and Egypt applied to join UPOV. Private seed companies are encouraged to expand their production and distribution of new varieties developed by the ARC. Seed production in the East Owaynat Area is being expanded, with organically produced potatoes as a starting point”.

Dr. Bernard Le Buanec, FIS Secretary-General, says:

“The good attendance is a positive indicator for the success of AFSTA. Although the association is only one year old, it has already made amazing progress. It now needs to become active in dealing with the main factors which constrain trade in seed in Africa. African countries need to develop adapted seed legislation for its conditions.”

TECHNICAL SESSIONS

Especially rewarding was the extent of attendance and participation in technical session meetings. This, despite the fact that many seed company representatives have come primarily to make contact with other seed enterprises in order to discuss business opportunities.

Session 1: Appropriate seed laws and regulations

This session consisted of a discussion on the need for policy reforms to facilitate trade in seed and to develop more effective national seed supply systems. Issues addressed included the need to simplify variety registration procedures, the need for plant variety protection legislation, and steps to create a sound regulatory framework for private seed investment and trade in seed. The essential role of national seed associations as advocates for policy reform was stressed, with the achievements of the Egyptian Seed Association cited as a model of how private-public dialogue can achieve results in enhancing national seed systems’ performance. Speakers also highlighted the role of AFSTA in promoting regulatory reform and harmonization of seed laws and regulations in African sub-regions. “Each country has to choose and adapt legislation to suit its own conditions. Subregional agreements are acceptable as many countries are too small to conduct their own plant breeding and variety release”, says Le Buanec.

Session 2: Seed Industry in Africa

This session consisted of presentations of national seed associations from Kenya, South Africa, Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, Madagascar, Zambia, Mauritania, Senegal, Nigeria, Cameroon and Zimbabwe. Each association described its activities and its achievements in representing their local seed industry and contributing to seed sector development. The associations outlined their future plans to work to improve their industries and the policy environment for the private sector. AFSTA can play an important role to strengthen the development of National Seed Associations and coordinate their activities. The International Seed Testing Association concluded the session, stressing the benefits of following international standards for seed quality.

Session 3: Improved quality seeds for African food security

Representatives of the FAO, OECD, ICARDA, and AOSCA reviewed their activities to support African seed systems in the areas of quality promotion, export, research, variety development, policy reform and formal and informal industry development. AFSTA can play an important consultative role by working with these organizations to promote the expanded use of high-quality seeds in Africa.

“Africa fell behind despite donor funding and the continent remains vulnerable and isolated. A competitive, efficient seed sector is a pre-requisite. Countries can benefit by synergism generated through public-private collaboration”, says Mark Condon, Vice-President, ASTA.

“Africa has been marginalized commercially, institutionally and internally. Development of the private sector had been neglected in the past and should now be supported.”, Francois Burgaud of GNIS says.

“In Egypt there have been three actors involved in the seed trade: Government, donor bodies and the private sector. Seed production and marketing have been largely privatized and variety release policies are being simplified”, reports Dr. Kent of the US-ARP Programme in Egypt.

“Common issues in quality certification involve seed quality, maintenance of quality during trans-boundary seed shipment, and food safety of the products. AOSCA provides many benefits in quality assurance, including the protection of new technological products and ensuring safety of food by way of identity preservation certification”, reports Dr. Gary Beil, President of AOSCA.

Dr. Michael Larinde of the FAO states: “Food security is determined by seed security. The FAO has had a focus on a global system for safeguarding plant genetic resources for agriculture in order to ensure sustainable food production. The new thrust focuses on quality seed and planting material. The four areas under this thrust include establishing seed programmes, seed production, seed quality certification, and the establishment of a seed security consultative group.”

Dr. Jean-Marie DeBois, Head of the OECD Seed Schemes reports: “African countries presently participating in OECD seed certification schemes include South Africa, Zimbabwe, Tunisia, Kenya, Morocco, and Egypt. There has been a strong increase in the number of varieties listed under these schemes and by early 2001 there were 24 953 varieties.”

Dr. Michael Turner of ICARDA reviewed the seed unit stationed in Aleppo, Syria. The organization is also involved in a seed programme, seed policies and harmonization of seed regulations. He concludes “The National Agricultural Research Services and the CGIAR Institutes will remain breeders of plant varieties; they will deal with the complex issues in the private sector and have now been tasked to also assess the economic impact of their research.”

Session 4: Implications of Biosafety Protocol

Biotechnology offers great potential to enhance crop varieties with desirable traits such as pest resistance, and drought and salt tolerance; however, these technologies cannot be commercialized in African countries until appropriate biosafety regulations are enacted at the national level, as required under the Cartagena Biosafety Protocol.

Dr. Magdy Madkour, Director of AGERI, reviewed genetic modification research and development and the National Biosafety System in Egypt which regulates research, trials, and commercial application of all genetic modified plant varieties. Included in their programme are advanced material of pest and disease resistant potatoes, maize, squash, and other vegetables.

Session 5: Intellectual property rights related to the seed industry

Plant Variety Protection (PVP), or Plant Breeders' Rights, is the most important aspect of Intellectual Property Rights for the seed industry. PVP provides an incentive for plant breeders to produce improved varieties of crops, and it facilitates international trade in seeds by giving companies confidence that their varieties will not be pirated. Ministries of Agriculture are interested in PVP as a means to give their farmers access to improved varieties to enhance production. The TRIPS agreement of the WTO requires countries to adopt effective PVP systems. The International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV) provides a model system that has proven effective over many years in over 47 countries. The OAU has developed a draft model law which combines the issue of PVP with additional issues, such as "community rights", the protection of "traditional knowledge" and regulated access to genetic resources. Many observers noted that such issues are still undefined and the subject of ongoing debates in international fora. They should be separated from the urgent task of passing laws for effective PVP at the national level.

Dr. Rolf Jördens, Vice Secretary-General of UPOV, states: "With the world population continuing to increase, land and resources becoming more scarce, increased efficiency in plant varieties is required to increase productivity. PVP is an effective tool for promoting agriculture. The advantages are that germplasm becomes available to plant breeders, variety improvement is stimulated, benefits are shared, and general plant breeding is encouraged. Article 15 of the Convention provides for flexible solutions at national level."

Dr. Seiler explained the requirements under the TRIPS provisions. Intellectual property rights protection for plant varieties needs to develop strategic options at national level in terms of combining the provisions for plant patent rights and plant variety protection. A new development is intellectual property rights for communities.

Session 6: Private sector seed industry in Africa: prospects and concerns
Although the private sector industry in Africa is still relatively underdeveloped, a number of leading companies are already making important contributions in many African countries. These contributions include the transfer of technology and management know-how, including new hybrids and varieties, new systems for internal quality control, packaging and storage. As the private sector develops, these advantages will multiply and spread to seed companies of all sizes. However, constraints persist, particularly as regards: (a) outdated laws and regulations, (b) unfair government competition, (c) and inadequate infrastructure. National seed associations, with the support of AFSTA, can work to address these concerns through information-sharing and policy advocacy activities.

AFSTA POSITION ON INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS

The General Assembly ratified unanimously the position document on an efficient sui generis system for Intellectual Property Rights as developed and presented by the Board of Directors. The text reads as follows:

ELECTION OF BOARD MEMBERS

The General Assembly approved nominations and elections of Board members as follows:

AFSTA BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Elected at AFSTA 2001, General Assembly Meeting, Cairo, Egypt, March 25, 2001

Serving second year of two-year term

• Nathaniel Tum (Kenya) President
• Guy-Blaise Satsa (Cameroon) Vice-President
• Samir El-Naggar (Egypt) Past President
• Imboasalamaniaina Rabenasolo (Madagascar)

Re-elected for a second term

• Charles Price (Malawi)
• Vincent Gwarazimba (Zimbabwe)
• Wynand van der Walt (South Africa)
• Getahun Alemu (Ethiopia)
• Mouldi Ghanmi (Tunisia)
• Newly elected full members
• Amadou Djigo (Senegal), replaces D. Ndoye
• Mohamed Saïdi (Morocco), replaces C Agossa
• Adeyemi Josua (Nigeria), replaces E. Obinyan
• Newly elected associate members
• Mark Condon, ASTA (USA)
• Francois Burgaud, GNIS (France)

CLOSING REMARKS

The AFSTA 2001 Congress concluded with a sense of general satisfaction with its proceedings and discussions on technical, policy, trade, and business issues. The Congress served as a useful forum for the exchange of ideas and business information, particularly seed varieties and products. Participants expressed their hopes that the spirit of the Congress will inspire AFSTA with new energy to undertake more activities to promote the development of the African Seed Industry.

Press release prepared by
Wynand J van der Walt (Chairman: AFSTA PR-Communications Committee), assisted by AFSTA Board members