The annual meeting of the Asia Pacific Seed Association (APSA) held at Kuala Lumpur from 25 to 29 November 2019 witnessed a turn-out of more than 1,500 delegates. Representatives from regional and international seed companies were in attendance. Aarti Misal, Research Analyst at World Benchmarking Alliance was present at the event to discuss with seed companies the plans for the upcoming third edition of the Access to Seeds Index.
As part of APSA’s ongoing efforts to raise awareness about and promote Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) and Plant Variety Protection (PVP), the message for this year was “Stop Seed Piracy”. The event featured among others presentation on the increasing problems from counterfeit seeds in the region.
The Access to Seeds Index for South and Southeast Asia, which was launched last year at the APSA congress was well received by the industry players who are now gearing up for the next cycle. The 2019 index gathered a multitude of best practices in several areas within companies’ seed business models.
At the same time, the industry is faced with a multitude of issues that impact progress and that will need additional attention in the coming decade. Interactions with companies at the APSA Congress marks the start of the next round of consultations with stakeholders to review the scope and methodology for the third Index that is scheduled for publication in 2021.
