December 2025 Newsletter
Dear Members & Partners,
As we close out 2025, it is a fitting moment to reflect on a year defined by progress, collaboration, and collective achievement across the Asia-Pacific seed sector. This has been a landmark year for Asia and Pacific Seed Alliance, marked by the successful delivery of our three flagship regional consultations, strengthened member engagement, and continued growth in APSA’s role as a trusted regional convenor and industry platform.
Throughout the year, APSA brought regulators, policymakers, and industry leaders together to advance dialogue on phytosanitary affairs, plant breeding innovation, and plant variety protection and biodiversity. These consultations set new benchmarks for regional cooperation and reinforced the importance of practical, science-based approaches to regulation.
Beyond advocacy, APSA also successfully convened the Asian Seed Congress in Mumbai, once again bringing the regional and global seed community together for business, exchange, and partnership.
This final newsletter of 2025 is anchored by the APSA Year in Review 2025, which captures the key milestones, initiatives, and outcomes from across the year. The publication is embedded and available for download below, offering a comprehensive snapshot of APSA’s activities and progress under the Strategic Roadmap 2025–2027. In addition, this issue includes our regular monthly seed industry news briefs from around the region, providing timely updates on developments shaping the sector.
Readers will also find the Q4 digital edition of Asian Seed & Planting Material, featuring in-depth analysis, expert perspectives, and special coverage aligned with the Asian Seed Congress and broader regional trends.
As we look ahead to 2026, APSA does so with renewed momentum, strengthened partnerships, and a clear focus on delivering value to its members and stakeholders. Thank you for your continued support and engagement throughout the year, and we wish you a restful holiday season and a successful year ahead.
Warm regards,
The APSA Secretariat
THANK YOU to our digital media sponsors
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Stay tuned for more updates in January 2026!
On behalf of APSA, we extend our sincere appreciation to all current APSA Standing Committees, Special Interest Groups and sub-group members for generously sharing their expertise to advance the mission of the Asia and Pacific Seed Association.
APSA’s technical committees play a pivotal role in shaping the organization’s policy direction on critical issues such as seed movement, innovation, intellectual property, biodiversity, and more. Beyond policy development, these committees have actively organized programs that benefit APSA members and strengthen the seed sector for many years. Initiatives include knowledge-sharing webinars, learning platforms, study tours, and technical workshops. A big round of applause to all committee members for your dedication and contributions!
Looking ahead, we are delighted to welcome new committee members and to welcome back returning members who applied through this year’s APSA Technical Committee call for nominations. These members will begin their new term for 2026–2028. We are excited to have more passionate individuals joining us to actively contribute and strengthen our technical groups.
Clike here to view the list of committee members for the term 2026 - 2028 — we look forward to your valuable contributions!
The following country seed industry news pages have been updated with recent news briefs. To read full briefs, click the respective flag below, which links to the respective national seed industry news landing pages, where you can find all recent news briefs from that country:
Cropping Continues to Replace Sheep on Large-Scale Farms: Cropping has increasingly replaced sheep across Australia’s traditional mixed-farming regions, with the national flock falling from 170 million in 1990 to 74 million today. . . . Read
Soil Salinity Accelerates Decline in Coastal Rice Cultivation: Rising soil salinity is driving a sustained decline in rice cultivation in Bangladesh’s coastal Satkhira district, according to the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE). Of the district’s 226,000 hectares of arable land, around 153,000 hectares are affected by salinity . . . Read
USD 240m Climate-Adaptive Irrigation Project Launched: Cambodia has launched the US$240 million CAISAR project to modernise irrigation and strengthen climate resilience across four key agricultural provinces . . . Read
Scientists Discover New Plant Growth Control Mechanism: Chinese researchers have identified a key mechanism regulating plant stem cells, showing that dynamic changes in cell wall mechanics control how plants continuously form new leaves, stems and flowers . . . Read
Crop Production Rises 44% Over Decade: India’s crop production has increased by 44% over the past ten years, driven by the adoption of improved seed varieties, modern technologies and better farming practices . . . Read
Major Rice Expansion Planned in Papua: Indonesia will clear up to 100,000 hectares for rice cultivation in Papua to strengthen food self-sufficiency, beginning with 20,000 hectares supported by government machinery . . . Read
Rice Prices Hit New Record High: Japan’s average retail rice price rose to a record ¥4,335 per 5 kg (about US$27.70) in the week ended last Sunday, the highest since tracking began in 2022, according to agriculture ministry data. Prices increased across categories . . . Read
Agri-Bio Cluster to Drive Smart Farming and Crop Innovation: South Chungcheong Province is developing the Naepo agri-bio convergence cluster, a large-scale smart agriculture and crop R&D hub in the Naepo New Town area, scheduled for completion by 2028 . . . Read
Emergency Measures Activated to Stabilise Veg Prices: Malaysia’s Agriculture and Food Security Ministry has rolled out emergency measures to stabilise vegetable prices after floods and extreme weather slashed output in key producing states . . . Read
Unseasonal Rains Cause Heavy Crop Losses, Rice and Vegetables Hit Hardest: Unseasonal rains in October and November caused agricultural losses exceeding Rs 6.6 billion (USD 50 million) nationwide, according to Nepal’s Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development, with rice and vegetables . . . Read
Regulations on Industrial Hemp Production Revised: New Zealand will ease long-standing restrictions on industrial hemp, removing the licensing requirement for growers whose crops contain less than 1% THC . . . Read
Water Scarcity Deepens, Raising Risks for Crop Production: According to a recent announcement by the Ministry of Water Resources, Pakistan’s per-capita water availability fell by 154 cubic metres between 2017 and 2023 due to rapid population growth . . . Read
Typhoons Tino and Uwan Inflict Over USD 87 Million in Agricultural Losses: Agricultural damage from Typhoons Tino and Uwan has reached ₱5.16 billion (USD 87.7 million), affecting more than 135,000 farmers and fisherfolk . . . Read
Cyclone Damages Maha Crops: Sri Lanka’s agriculture sector has been heavily affected by Cyclone Ditwah, with more than 200,000 hectares of farmland damaged nationwide . . . Read
Expanding Smart Farming Through Public–Private Partnership: Thailand’s Department of Agricultural Extension (DOAE) has signed an MoU with Chia Tai Company Limited to accelerate the adoption of digital and smart farming technologies among farmers nationwide . . . Read
Low-Emission Agriculture via Public–Private Partnerships: Vietnam’s Ministry of Agriculture and Environment convened the 2025 PSAV conference to advance low-emission agricultural value chains and carbon market integration . . . Read
Seed Industry News by country in alphabetical order
|
Australia |
Bangladesh |
Cambodia |
China |
India |
Indonesia |
Japan |
Korea, South |
|
Laos |
Malaysia |
Myanmar |
Nepal |
New Zealand |
Pakistan |
Philippines |
Singapore |
|
Sri Lanka |
Thailand |
Turkiye |
Vietnam |
Central Asia |
Middle East |
International |
A year defined by progress, partnership, and regional leadership. This publication brings together the key milestones, flagship initiatives, advocacy outcomes, and collaborations that shaped APSA’s work in 2025 and strengthened the Asia-Pacific seed sector’s capacity for innovation, trade, and sustainable growth.
Asian Seed magazine Vol. 31 No.4 (Quarter 4, 2025)
As the year draws to a close, Volume 31, Issue 4 of Asian Seed & Planting Material brings together reflection, leadership, and forward-looking insight from across the Asia-Pacific seed sector. This final issue of 2025 opens with comprehensive addresses from APSA President Teck Wah Koh and Executive Director Francine Sayoc, who together outline the association’s key achievements under the first year of APSA’s three-year Strategic Roadmap—spanning regulatory advocacy, member engagement, and organizational excellence. Anchoring this issue is the cover theme “Beej Kendra Bharat” — India as a Seed Hub, explored through in-depth interviews with leading members of the National Organizing Committee of the 2025 Asian Seed Congress. Their perspectives illuminate why India continues to emerge as a strategic center for seed R&D, production, innovation, and trade, and how its strengths position it at the heart of regional and global seed value chains. This edition also features exclusive interviews with two prominent Indian professionals now serving in influential regional roles within the global seed community—including the newly appointed Director of the Seed Innovation and Protection Initiative (SIPI) and an Asia-Pacific Advocate for the International Seed Testing Association (ISTA)—offering insight into policy, science, and international standard-setting from an Asian perspective. Beyond India, the magazine captures the breadth of APSA’s diverse membership. Readers will find analysis on how Chinese APSA members can better access global markets, strategic perspectives on the rising capabilities of Bangladesh’s seed sector, and contributions from across the region that highlight emerging opportunities, regulatory developments, and innovation trends.
Flipbook Version Click Here
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
© 2025, Asia and Pacific Seed Alliance, Ltd. Unless where otherwise stated, all content in this newsletter is protected by
Copyright © laws, and/or utilized under non-commercial "Fair Use" provisions. This Newsletter is sent to APSA active members, and select stakeholders and associates.
If you do not wish to receive this newsletter, please unsubscribe via this link.
