“Governance is not the same as government”, said Dr. Suthad Setboonsarng, member of the National Reform Council of Thailand. In other words: in seed regulation, registration, and certification, the time to market of new varieties can be sped up when governments do not aim to do everything themselves. “It is clear that governments have to supervise the whole process and define the standards,” Dr. Setboonsarng added, “but testing can well be done by the private sector itself. But is requires trust, cooperation and a clear arrangements.”
Harmonization is another strategy to speed up the release of new varieties available for smallholder farmers in emerging markets, according to Ido Verhagen, Executive Director of the Access to Seeds Index. “At the start of our assessment of the seed industry in Eastern Africa, we expected to find many Indian seed companies active in the region. Coming from the same climatic zone, that seems an easier step than for companies from the USA or Europe. Instead, we found none.”
According to Verhagen, Indian seed companies see opportunities on the African continent, but the investment is too large to go through testing and registration in each country separately. “The region would greatly benefit from harmonization and ensuring that when a variety is tested and approved in one country, it is also allowed in another.”
Both examples underline the need to work together as public and private sector, Michael Keller, Secretary General of the International Seed Federation added. “And more importantly, it is all about implementation. We know what needs to be done. There are policies and strategies. But we have to make it happen in practice.”
