WIC gains steam to douse burning issues

On 25 April, representatives from 23 member companies of APSA’s Working Group of Integrated Vegetable Seed Companies (WIC) convened in their annual midterm meeting.

The in-person meeting was convened at the Four Points by Sheraton in Bangkok, Thailand, with several participants and observers also joining online.

Welcoming participants, WIC Chair Takahiro Ando expressed pleasure for travel restrictions being lifted, and allowing business travel once again.

“We hope that this year the seed industry will see many developments and hope that this WIC group will contribute to that improvement,” he said

Following formalities, the meeting formally commenced with discussions on burning issues affecting regional vegetable seed production and trade.

First on the agenda -- disruptive phytosanitary measures on seed imports to India — a mandate for Additional Declarations to be endorsed on original phytosanitary certificates issued in seed consignments’ country of origin.

Stemming from a September 2021 office memorandum circulated by India’s Plant Protection Advisor (PPA), compliance is particularly problematic for reexport consignments that have moved through multiple countries, for breeding, processing or testing, before finally reaching India.

Though the Secretary of Agriculture relaxed the requirement to facilitate seed movements, this stay is set to expire this coming September.

A delegation from the Federation of Seed Industry of India (FSII) updated that the Secretary of Agriculture recently assured industry reps that “seed trade will not be stopped” – hence, the stay is expected to be extended beyond September 2023.

Meanwhile, FSII will sustain efforts, engagement and dialogue with the PPA and other concerned officials. The delegation proposed the establishment of a technical committee to include seed industry reps from both the public and private sectors, including pathologists, and biologists, which would work to create a common understanding of technical issues on a scientific basis and conduct advocacy and education efforts to increase awareness and accountability within the government. It was also motioned for all seed companies to sign a code of conduct to ensure the phytosanitary compliance, which could also provide leverage for the industry in dialogue with the government.

The next issue discussed was the status of breeders' and farmers' rights in the region, as indicated by a recent survey distributed by APSA to reps of seven national seed associations. The survey provided useful information on various trends and practices, including seed production, farm-saved seeds and smallholder farmers.

Pending checks and validation of survey data, a summary paper will be drafted and shared with WIC and SC IPR and Biodiversity members for final review, before distribution amongst APSA members for internal use.

WIC members then discussed the need for arbitration mechanisms to resolve issues between ASA members. Following up on discussions between WIC members and the International Seed Federation, it was motioned for APSA to promote and incorporate ISF’s Arbitration Rules as part of APSA’s Code of Conduct. This proposal would be further considered by APSA’s EC, while the adoption of APSA’s Code of Conduct will be considered at the association’s Annual General Meeting this November.

Another burning issue discussed was the implementation of seed production rules in Indonesia, which prohibit the import of most types of seeds after two years. These rules, which have been in place for the better part of the last decade, were mandated as part of efforts by the Indonesian government to boost domestic seed production; however, a lack of technical capacity and incompatibility of certain types of crops with the Indonesian climate (especially temperate clime crops, Brassica sp. Etc.) has posed critical challenges for both seed companies and the country’s food security.

APSA agreed to prioritize the issue in discussions with seed association reps (ASBENINDO and HORTINDO) during the seed association meeting (See page 20) and through these associations would continue to engage the government in order to achieve a suitable resolution.

The next issue discussed concerned trademark issues stemming from the alleged abuse of Viet Nam’s recentlyimplemented requirement for seed companies to register their variety names in a national database. Several WIC members alleged that their own variety names had been registered by other companies, forcing affected companies to create new names for registration purposes.

APSA agreed to work with the Vietnam Seed Trade Association to resolve the issue, which has also affected local companies. VSTA has already written a letter to the government, and APSA will draft its own letter to raise the issue with the government. Meanwhile, a multistakeholder meeting was proposed to facilitate dialogue amongst multinational and local seed companies, and reps from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

Another proposal to be considered is the creation an independently-managed variety name database, which would enable companies to easily check existing variety names.

The final burning issue addressed concerned testing requirements mandated by the Pakistan NPPO, for inbound cucumber and bitter gourd seeds, specifically for the Cucurbit aphid-borne yellows virus (CABYV). The requirement was not communicated in advance to trading partners, and there was no scientific evidence referenced to justify the measure. Though Thailand’s Department of Agriculture was able to confirm compliance, it was noted that there is limited testing capacity in other countries. APSA agreed to work with the Seed Association of Pakistan to resolve this issue with the government.

Aside from this, WIC members also discussed progress on APSA’s University Connect Program, including the signing of several Memorandum of

Understanding agreements with several universities in the region (see page 31)

Regarding the WIC’s Disease Resistance Terminology (DRT) project, progress and setbacks were relayed from the bitter gourd, bitter gourd powdery mildew, and watermelon fusarium wilt subgroups.

Another important update shared was the latest progress with the Seed Innovation and Protection Initiative (SIPI) presented by WIC Co-Chair, Mr Harendra Singh, which is ready to commence activities related to tackling illegal seed practices. Having confirmed registration in Singapore, the organization was due to recruit an Executive within June.

Other topics discussed include plans to survey members for new initiatives; the forming of a new working group for vegetable seed production and planning of APSA Young Club meeting agenda during the Asian Seed Congress in November.

Full details are included in the WIC meeting minutes and action sheet, available to active members via APSA’s website.