ISU, USAID to present international seed regulation paper via webinar: open to public

AMES, Iowa - Representatives from Iowa State University and the U.S. Agency for International Development are presenting a policy paper in Washington, D.C., at 9:30 a.m. Eastern time, Dec. 14 to agriculture policy leaders worldwide.

The public is invited to watch the presentation via webinar at http://agrilinks.kdid.org/events/enabling-private-sector-led-seed-industry-policy-perspectives, which is presented by the organizing group, USAID - EAT (Enabling Agricultural Trade). Participants must register prior to the event.

On the program is Joe Cortes, Global Program Leader for the center who will be taking part in the presentation.

This briefing is targeted to policymakers and donors interested in agriculture sector reform aimed at enabling seed sector growth, which is an important part of international agricultural growth.

The three key points of the briefing include setting up a legal and regulatory framework and removing unnecessary barriers to private seed sector growth; beginning policy interventions in order to increase market capacity for the private seed industry; and requiring governments to implement regional harmonization agreements.

Harmonization agreements are designed to lessen legislative barriers between countries.

"We are hoping that this paper will move forward the possibility of lifting some of the burdensome regulations that are restricting agricultural growth in the areas of the world that can least afford the delay," said Manjit Misra, director of the Seed Science Center and professor of agricultural and biosystems engineering. "The more people who understand the problems, the quicker we can adapt lasting solutions."

Misra says that regulations that differ from country to country and region to region in Africa are difficult to follow for companies looking to expand and bring new seed technologies to Africa.

The USAID-EAT Project in conjunction with the Iowa State Seed Science Center, based on recent experience from the field, have identified a number of key principles that should be made central to all legal and regulatory seed frameworks to achieve the groups' goals.