Quality Seed | Quality Life
March 2022 Newsletter
Welcome to everyone to the March 2022 newsletter and podcast. I hope all of you are staying safe and healthy. This month, I have many updates from our committees and the APSA secretariat on the progress of our activities and collaborations.
First, we are excited for the upcoming Asian Solanecoues Round Table (ASRT) and the APSA – WorldVegetable consortium field demo and annual workshop during 9 – 13 May. All 3 events will be happening physically at the Indian Institute of Horticultural Research (IIHR) auditorium in Bangalore, India. We would like to thank all our sponsors (Syngenta, East West Seeds, Takii, Nong Woo Bio India and Lal Teer) for their great support to the ASRT. We also would like to thank the IIHR and SPH (Society for Promotion of Horticulture) team led by Dr. BNS Murthy (Director of IIHR), Dr. Madhevi Reddy (Principal Scientist & I/c Head Division of Vegetable Crops of ICAR) and Dr. M V Dhananjaya (Secretary General of SPH) together with our R&D advisory group, Dr. Seetharam Annadana, and Dr. Conrado Balatero, chair of ASRT organizing team, for their dedication and support to organize this event. The registration is already closed for participants outside India and for participants who are located inside India can still register until 25th April, 2022. Please secure your seat to attend this forum for breeders.
Next, I would like to encourage all members to review the proposal titled “Identification of single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers associated with resistance to pepper yellow leaf curl virus in chili pepper”, which we circulated recently. This is new collaborative project with King Mongkut's Institute of Technology Ladkrabang (KMITL) and the National Omics Center (NOC) of National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA). A Q&A session will be organized on 18th April, please feel free to contact Ms. Kuna Phuntunil (kuna@apsaseed) if you need more information.
And a reminder that another proposal for the APSA – Consortium members 2022 titled “Development of Tomato Lines for Resistance to Sucking & Feeding Pests” is still open for a registration until 15th April. Please find more information in below link or please feel free to send your interest to Ms. Xiaofeng Li (xiaofeng@apsaseed.org).
On policy advocacy work, our committees are working together with stakeholders, CropLife Asia and International Seed Federation to address a number of important issues and concerns. Among them include pre- and post-entry requirements for seed treatments in the Philippines, referring to a memorandum from the Bureau of Plant Industry, Department of Agriculture, Philippines, titled “Importation of Orchids, Ornamental and Seed for propagation and resale purposes” which was dated 10th May, 2021.
Another issue we are working on with CropLife Asia and ISF is with respect to New Import Conditions for enlisted Zea mays seed imported into Pakistan. We have co-authored a proposal on behalf of the international seed industry to request a transition period of 15 months (starting March, 2023), and we have also suggested for
Pakistan to follow International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) standards with regard to pest declarations, noting that regulated quarantine pests are those: 1)Of potential economic importance, or 2) Not yet present, or present but not widely distributed. More information on these updates are covered in our seed industry news section of the website, as well as full summaries of these updates and more in our latest issue of Asian Seed & Planting Material, which you can download below.
This year APSA is sustaining efforts to engage and communicate with governments in the region on the importance of policy harmonization for seed trade, and utilizing digitalization to facilitate the movement of seed internationally. On March 8, I was invited to intervene on behalf of the private seed sector during the Food and Agriculture Organization’s 36th Session, joining more than 1,100 participants to engage in important dialogue about ensuring sustainable agri-food systems. In a statement that I read to the conference virtually, I underlined the importance of seeds as the primary basis for the food and agriculture supply chain system. In addition to referencing our collaboration with the World Vegetable Centre, ISF and the OECD to monitor impacts of the pandemic on vegetable seed companies, I also reiterated our recommendations for addressing the many challenges we faced. I encourage readers to download and read the full statement as well as read the OECD report on the link below
Looking ahead, we have a lot of important items coming up as follows. On 19-20 April APSA’s Working Group of Integrated Vegetable Seed Companies (WIC) will have their midterm meeting, which will discuss a lot of important initiates including disease resistance terminology, the university connect program, the policy issues impacting the vegetable seed business in APAC and the vegetable market update from Japan and Sri Lanka. I will keep you posted on the summary of this meeting in next month’s newsletter.
Aside from this, there are a lot more projects, programs and initiatives we are looking forward to working on with our partners and stakeholders this year. Many are mentioned in this newsletter by our technical team, events manager and our communications manager.
Last but not least is one more important announcement. We are really looking forward to meeting all of you in Bangkok during 14 – 18 November at the Asian Seed Congress. THASTA and APSA are thrilled to inform you that we will be opening registration from 1st May. Please be prepared for new excitements provided you leading up to and during Congress. Please look out for the announcement with full details, coming to your inbox and newsfeed soon! Until we meet, stay safe and healthy!
Thank you very much and again if you have any suggestions on our activities, the key issues you are facing in your seed business and possible collaborations, please do not hesitate to contact me directly at may@apsaseed.org .
May Chodchoey,
APSA Executive Director
may@apsaseed.org.
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Please be reminded that the APSA Membership annual term is from 1 January through 31 December, and membership renewal fees are due 1 January each year. Unpaid dues as of March 31 will result in disqualification from membership privileges.
APSA Membership Fees are non-refundable and we do not provide pro rata membership rates. As of now, we have 240 active members who have renewed their membership for 2022.
We would also like to remind all of our members that APSA is offering very attractive Digital Media Sponsor Packages. Please CLICK HERE for Sponsorship Package offerings consolidated with fillable quotation/booking form to customize your package, and choose the Digital Media Sponsorship (DMS) benefits that best suits your needs.
If you have any questions, or if there is anything else, we can assist you with please don’t hesitate to contact me.
Mr. Komsak Kamjing (Bobbie)
APSA Membership Coordination Manager
2022 Asian Solanaceous Round Table (ASRT 2022)
APSA, in collaboration with the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), The Indian Institute of Horticultural Research (IIHR) and Society for Promotion of Horticulture will be holding the 2022 Asian Solanaceous Round Table (ASRT-4) at ICAR-IIHR in Bangalore, India from the 11th - 13th of May 2022. This three-day event will feature key topics, such as: Solanaceous Crops: Modern Breeding Techniques & Resistance to Diseases and Pests, Genomics & Genome Editing, Germplasm Diversity and Plant Variety Protection, Breeding for Biotic and Abiotic Stress, The Past and the Future of Bacillus Thuringiensis (Bt) in Eggplant, Application of AI and Digital Technology for High Throughput Phenotyping, and Breakout Session on Technology Platform Demonstration, Training Needs and PPP. This event is for Active APSA Members ONLY. Registration Fee is only 200 USD per person, with a special 10% Discount given to APSA Member Companies who register more than 5 participants. Please also be advised that any travelers arriving to India will no longer need to quarantine themselves, except for those arriving from the 19 countries specified by the Indian government. Registration has now closed for international delegates, but if you are located in India, registration for local Indians will close on 25 April. For more details regarding event agenda, COVID-19 regulations and for registration, please visit the official event page. (https://web.apsaseed.org/events/ASRT-2022)
RCEP Forum on Intellectual Property (IP) Protection in Seed Industry
The Asia and Pacific Seed Alliance (APSA), in collaboration with the China National Seed Trade Association (CNSTA), the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and Sanya Yazhou Bay Science and Technology City Administration Bureau (YZBSTC) will be holding the RCEP Forum on Intellectual Property (IP) Protection in Seed Industry focusing on “Regional Cooperation on IP Protection and Enforcement System to Promote Seed Trade and Technological Innovation for Food Security” on the 2nd of June 2022. The objective of this event is to understand the scope of Intellectual Property under RCEP (Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership) Agreement and the plant variety protection under the UPOV Convention to promote the innovation and investment in agriculture among RCEP member countries, to exchange the current practices of IP protection and IP enforcement among RCEP member countries focusing on PVP, the agriculture sector and seed industry and to discuss on how to cooperate among RCEP countries on IP protection and enforcement, with particular focus on PVP, under RCEP Agreement on the agriculture sector and seed industry.
This event is invite only. But if you wish to view more details, please visit the official event page. https://web.apsaseed.org/events/rcep-ip-forum
2022 Asian Cucirbit Round Table (ACRT 2022)
APSA, in collaboration with Kasetsart University, will be holding the 2022 Asian Cucirbit Round Table (ACRT 2022) from the 15th to the 18th of July 2022. This 4-day event will feature two full days of discussion, which will be held at Kastsart University in Bangkok, followed by two full days of field demonstration at Kasetsart University Kampaengsaen Campus. Participants will discuss various topics such as cucurbit market overview, disease trends and marker discovery in cucurbits, molecular breeding approaches in cucurbits, cucurbit crop improvement and Public-Private Partnerships. This event is for Active APSA Members ONLY. Registration Fee is only 200 USD per person, with a special 10% Discount given to APSA Member Companies who register more than five (5) participants. Registration will open mid-April, so please stay tuned for more details.
2022 Asian Seed Congress (ASC 2022)
Finally, after two years, APSA and the Thai Seed Trade Association (THASTA) as the official National Organizing Committee, are set to co-organize the long-awaited 2022 Asian Seed Congress (ASC 2022), which will be in Bangkok, Thailand from the 14th to the 18th of November 2022 at the Centara Grand and Bangkok Convention Centre. We are happy to inform you that registration for the upcoming 2022 Asian Seed Congress will open on the 1st of May 2022. So please stay tuned for more updates.
List of Upcoming APSA Webinars
For more information regarding agenda and registration for the upcoming 2022 APSA Webinars, please stay tuned for more details.
(If you would like to sponsor any of the above webinars, email Mike or Komsak @ apsaseed.org (no spaces).
That is all for upcoming APSA Events. Now for some details regarding upcoming seed industry events from around the world.
Agri Tech South 2022
Confederation of Indian Industry - Southern Region is organizing its 3rd edition of Agri Tech South 2022 scheduled from 8 - 10 April 2022 at Prof. Jayashankar Telangana State Agricultural University, Hyderabad, India. Agri-Tech South would entail a 3-day Exhibition with 5000+ Sqm area with 100 exhibitors while having a 3-day Conference simultaneously. With 25,000+ visitors expected for the event, we aim to create a platform that facilitates growth of the Indian agriculture sector at large.
Agri-Tech South aims to create a platform to showcase and introduce the best and latest Agri inputs, products, services and technologies that would drive the agriculture of the future. It would also serve as a platform to convene some of the best minds from across the globe in the space of agriculture along with key representatives from government, industry, academia and the farming community to discuss, deliberate, identify priorities and propose an agenda for the growth of the agriculture sector in the country.
Along with the Agri-Tech South 2022, “AGRIVISION”, a 3-day Conference will be organized to bring together all the stakeholders of Agriculture production from India and across the globe and to create a platform for new business opportunities to the agri-value chain and importantly introduce practical learning to the farming community. The plenary sessions at AGRIVISION aims at helping farmers to adapt the global best practices by developing the necessary key enabling technologies across a broad range of sectors. The conference will provide new means and methods for farmers to further optimize management of resources, improve
crop quality and quantity and remain productive in a changing climate.
For more details on registration, event agenda and sponsorship, please visit the official event page. http://www.ciiagritechsouth.in/
2022 International Seed Federation (ISF) World Seed Congress
The International Seed Federation (ISF) has opened registration for its 2022 World Seed Congress, which is scheduled to take place from the 14th to the 18th of May 2022 in Barcelona, Spain. Registration will close on 10 May 2022. There is only one registration fee of 1,500 EUR, which will be offered during the entire registration process. The three-day event will feature an exhibition, trading floor, meetings and panel discussions on a host of important topics relevant to the seed sector and beyond, with some parts of the program being offered virtually. ISF had recently just made an announcement that they have moved the congress to a new and modern congress center and hotel. For those who have already registered, no worries. Your registration will stay the same. Your previous hotel room booking will be automatically rebooked to the Renaissance Hotel Barcelona Fira by our congress organizer K.I.T. Group. The difference in price will be reimbursed to you. Please expect to be contacted by the accommodation team within the next two weeks. For those who have yet to register, please visit the official congress website to find the delegate registration page. We have additional rooms at the Renaissance Fira at preferential rates, and a few other hotels nearby. There will be no impact on the congress program. For more details on registration, event agenda and sponsorship, please visit the official event page. (https://congress.worldseed.org/)
5th China International Import Expo (CIIE)
From the 5th to the 10 of November 2022, the Ministry of Commerce of the People’s Republic of China and Shanghai Municipal People's Government will hold the 5th China International Import Expo (CIIE) at the National Exhibition and Convention Center in Shanghai, China.
The China International Import Expo (CIIE) is one of China’s first import-themed national-level exhibition which provides great opportunities for foreign enterprises to showcase their products and technology wishing to enter and/or expand their Chinese market. The expo will also feature a forum of relevant government authorities, international organizations, scientific research institutes and representatives of domestic and foreign enterprises, who will come to discuss various topics such as new situations, new technology, new achievements and new equipment of the seed industry field, the establishment of an innovation system of the seed industry from a multi-dimension angle, build a business dialogue platform, advocate the intellectual property protection and focus on the innovative development demands of the seed industry.
If you are interested in joining this event, please visit the official event page for more details on registration (https://www.ciie.org/zbh/index.html)
If you have any questions regarding upcoming APSA events, or if there is anything else, I can assist you with please don’t hesitate to contact me.
Mike Kingapayom
APSA Event Manager
Welcome to Technical Affairs update. The same as before, let’s start with the APSA-WorldVeg Vegetable Breeding Consortium.
We are happy to remind you that the registration for 2022 APSA-WorldVeg Vegetable Breeding Consortium（CLICK HERE to learn more about the consortium benefits.） and its Annual Workshop are on-going (in-person or online attendance). Please CLICK HERE to register.
In addition, the Field Demonstration of the 2021 APSA-WorldVeg Vegetable Breeding Consortium Exclusive Tomato & Pepper Lines will be held on May 9th, 2022 in Bengaluru, India. All 2021 Consortium Members are eligible to participate in this field day. Please click here to learn more about the field demo.
This year a special project entitled “Development of Tomato Lines for Resistance to Sucking & Feeding Pests” is launched under the 2022 APSA-WorldVeg Vegetable Breeding Consortium with the aims for the seed companies to incorporate insect resistance into tomato cultivars that enable farmers to reduce pesticide use and produce high quality tomatoes. The registration close date for this project is extended from March 31st 2022 to April 15th 2022 to leave more time for consortium companies to discuss internally and make decision. If you are interested in this project, please don’t hesitate to click the link here for more details and registration.
We would like to share with you that we are preparing a Bitter Gourd Open Field day, which will be held on 28th July 2022 at WorldVeg’s Research & Training Station at Kamphaeng Saen, Thailand to demonstrate WorldVeg's genetically broad based and fixed, top new bitter gourd lines of all the market segments bred through recurrent selection. We will come back with more details soon.
If you have any problem or need help from APSA Secretariat, please contact APSA Partnership Program Manager Ms. Xiaofeng Li at xiaofeng@apsaseed.org
Ms. Xiaofeng Li
APSA Partnership Program Manager
Standing Committees and Special Interest Groups
In continuation with Ms Xiaofeng Li, I also would like to inform you on another collaborative project we are launching.
APSA is pleased to announce registration is now open for a collaborative project title “Identification of single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers associated with resistance to pepper yellow leaf curl virus in chili pepper” led by Dr. Wirulda Pootakham, Researcher, Thailand National Omics Center (NOC) National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA) and Assist. Prof. Dr. Patcharaporn Suwor, King Mongkut's Institute of Technology Ladkrabang (KMITL). The registration is open until April 30, 2022.
The objective is to identify single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers associated with resistance to pepper yellow leaf curl virus in chilli pepper. The total project duration is 3 years from June 1, 2022 – May 31, 2025.
Participating companies will receive SNP markers linked to pepper yellow leaf curl virus resistance that can be used for marker-assisted breeding.
APSA member companies who are interested in this project can register CLICK HERE and join the Q&A session on April 18, 2022 at 14.00 – 15.00 hrs ICT (GMT+7). The principal scientist, Dr Wirulda from NSTDA will present the project and answer questions.
Please CLICK HERE to view complete project details.
And now an update on APSA Standing Committees and Special Interest Groups. Following is a summary review of the APSA SC/SIG activities this month:
Starting with an update from our Standing Committee on Seed Technology:
This month the committee warmly welcome a new member, Mr Ashley Fraser, Managing Director of Baker Seed Co, and representing Australian Seed Federation in the committee; and two observers Mr Md. Azizul Hoque, Technical Manager (Assistant Manager), Lal Teer Seed Ltd. and Dr R. Rajasekaran, Vice President, Quality Assurance, SeedWorks International Pvt Ltd. The committee was very excited with the new dynamic from the new member and observers.
From the meeting on March 25th, the committee has decided to organize three APSA Seed Technology webinars in June, August and October this year. The APSA Seed Technology Webinar Session 1 on seed dormancy will be organized on June 1st. Besides, the development of the e-Learning Management System (LMS) platform for APSA Seed Academy Program is still ongoing we will keep you posted on this in the near future.
Let us move to an update from the Standing Committee on Intellectual Property Rights and Biodiversity. The Group had a meeting on March 29 with an update on committee members. The committee sincerely thanked Mr Michael Leader from Bayer CropScience and Mr Khuat Anh Viet from Syngenta for all of their valuable contributions to the SC IPR & Biodiversity since 2019 and 2020 respectively. Besides, the committee also welcomed Mr Craig Hollings, Seed Regulatory Manager, APAC, Bayer CropScience, who joined the first meeting in March together with the three new members approved in February: Dr. Gabriel Ortega Romero, Executive Director of the Philippine Seed Industry Association; Dr. Kwanghong Lee, DUS tester, Plant Variety Protection Division, Korea Seed and Variety Service; and Dr. Shivendra Bajaj, Executive Director of the Federation of Seed Industry of India.
In the March meeting, the committee discussed details about the draft of anAPSA DSI Factsheet, which is still under revision; and the proposal to work on the position paper on acts done privately and for non-commercial purposes and small holder farmers, which the Chair and Co-Chair will help shaping the key points for this paper. Besides, the committee has received an update and are invited to attend the RCEP Forum on Intellectual Property (IP) Protection in Seed Industry as Mike mentioned in upcoming events. They also keep a close coordination with the secretariat to update on the revised Explanatory Notes on Essentially Derived Varieties (EDV) under the 1991 Act of the UPOV Convention, where the EDV taskforce is still working tediously on this topic.
Next is an update from the Standing Committee on International Trade & Quarantine: The committee had a meeting on March 23 and welcome 3 observers, Dr. Shivendra Bajaj, Executive Director of the Federation of Seed Industry of India, Mr Nicolas Perrin from SAMAE and Ms. Ha Thuy Nguyen, Lead Seed Regulatory APAC from Bayer (South East Asia) Pte Ltd.). The March meeting mainly discussed on the preparation of the 8th Phytosanitary Expert Consultation to be held in late August. The event will also be attached with one-day electronic phytosanitary certificate (ePhyto) workshop. The topics to be discussed in this event are related to the lab accreditation, ePhyto and seed re-export process. Besides, the committee also updated on several advocacy efforts as well as to request committee to start brainstorming about potential topics for the technical session in November.
Next is an update from SIG Field Crops: From the committee meeting on March 15th, the committee has agreed to organize three Field Crops webinar sessions to provide benefit to APSA members in May, August and October. The first webinar session will be organized under the theme of agronomy and digital interventions to improve productivity for farmers to be held on May 26th. Besides, the committee also update each other on the roundtable policy advocacy update for example the seed treatment policy in the Philippines. Stay tuned for more updates next month.
Next, the Special Interest Group on Vegetables and Ornamentals or SIG Veg & Orn had their second meeting of the year on March 10th which covered a long list of topics, including updates from WIC, R&D and DRT as sub-groups. In the meeting, the committee proposed an idea that all technical committees can access other committee’s files and folders for better understanding and more collaboration between and among the committee. Besides, the committee was excited to plan for new activities. Despite the uncertain situation of Covid-19, SIG Veg&Orn committee still looks for a chance to have a physical study tour, tentatively planned to be in the Netherlands. They also started brainstorming topics for APSA technical session in the Physical Asian Seed Congress to be held in Bangkok to ensure quality presentation topics delivered to APSA members.
The Working Group of Integrated Vegetable Seed Companies or WIC members are informed on the upcoming WIC meeting on April 20th. Due to the Covid-19 situation, the majority has decided to go for an online platform and hope to have a physical meeting at the Asian Seed Congress in Bangkok in November. In the meantime, the preparation on the Cucurbit Disease Management Workshop and the University Connect Program are moving by the timeline. More update next month.
The R&D Advisory Group just met on March 30th. For ASRT preparation, the ASRT working group chaired by Dr Conrado Balatero and Dr Seetharam Annadana had been meeting every 2 weeks with event co-organizers, the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), Indian Institute of Horticultural Research (IIHR), and Society for Promotion of Horticulture (SPH) to keep aligned on event preparations. In the meeting, the committee also moved forward on the preparation of the Asian Cucurbit Round table (ACRT), which the registration to open next month. The group also acknowledged on the announcement of APSA-NSTDA-KMITL collaborative research proposal and hope to receive interests from APSA members.
The Disease Resistance Terminology Working Group or DRT is working on the formation of tomato and watermelon sub-groups, which have had more WIC companies join. The WG had a meeting on March 23rd and agreed to set the first meeting for tomato and watermelon subgroups in early April to prioritize the pathogen to work on. The bitter gourd sub-group also discussed on the process to accelerate the application with the Indian National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) on seed export from India.
This is all for now for the SC/SIG updates. All minutes of SIG/SC meetings can be viewed by APSA members by logging in APSA website and go to member area. Thank you very much and stay tuned for more updates next month. Should you have any questions, don’t hesitate to get in touch.
Kunaporn Phuntunil
APSA Technical Coordination Manager
As part of APSA’s digitalization and digitization strategy, in 2022 we’re offering active members even more ways to directly reach Asia-Pacific seed industry decision makers directly -- in their inbox, on their desktop PCs, laptops, smartphone, tablets, and phablets alike, through our exciting new affiliate, sponsorship, marketing, communication, advertising and publicity opportunities.
We are pleased to announce our 2022 Digital Media Sponsorship Rates and Media Kit:
Don’t hesitate, INQUIRE NOW!
Email: (komsak@apsaseed.org) or Mike (mike@apsaseed.org)
ISF Secretariat welcomes two new team members: The International Seed Federation (ISF) Secretariat recently welcomed two new professionals to its team in Switzerland: Ben Rivoire as Sustainability & Crop Manager, and Ludivine Thomas as the new Technical Lead for The International Seed Health Initiative for Vegetable Crops (ISHI-Veg). . . .
Record levels marked in latest FAO Food Price Index: The latest report on the FAO Food Price Index (FFPI) reveals surging price of vegetable oils and dairy products . . .
IHIS Markit’s latest report on global seed trait trends: The IHS Markit Crop Science Market Analysis and Data team has released the Seed Market Overview and Trait Overview 2020. The report contains:
ISF condemns war, weighs in on Ukraine seed supply
The International Seed Federation on 8 March issued a statement calling for continued seed supply to Ukraine in light of the ongoing conflict there. . . .
Bayer threatens to halt Russian seed supply: German agricultural giant Bayer AG issued a statement warning that it would seed shipments to Russia next year if the war in Ukraine continues. . . .
FAO weighs in on Ukraine-Russia conflict impacts, policy: In an Information Note published in March by the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) a number of policy recommendations were outlined . . .
.including:
1. Keep global food and fertilizer trade open.
2. Find new and more diverse food suppliers.
3. Support vulnerable groups, including internally displaced people.
4. Avoid ad hoc policy reactions.
5. Strengthen market transparency and dialogue.
Historic FAO Regional Conference concludes in Asia and the Pacific: The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) from 8-11 March held its “largest-ever regional conference in Asia and the Pacific,”
APSA Director intervenes at APRC36: Speaking on behalf of the private seed sector during the historic 36th Session of the FAO Asia and the Pacific Regional Conference. APSA Director, Dr Kanokwan Chodchoey read a statement in which she emphasized the importance of seeds in achieving sustainable development
AFSTA gets new President: Dr Kulani Machaba of Corteva - South Africa was formally transitioned as the new president of the African Seed Trade Association. during the regional seed association’s annual Annual Congress, held 2 and 3 March at the Royal Garden Palace in Djerba, Tunisia.
Swiss government extends GMO moratorium: A moratorium in Switzerland on genetically modified organisms (GMOs)has been extended until 2025, and for the time being all plants from genome editing are considered gmos.
More on these stories on International Seed Industry News page
Australia
Pasture seed industry delivers $3 billion annually to Australian agriculture: Australian seed companies supply 40,000 to 45,000 tonnes of pasture seed annually to livestock industries . . .
Bangladesh
BADC to set up seed breeding farm: The government has decided to set up seed breeding farms to improve food security, alleviate poverty and improve the living standards of coastal people. . . .
Onion seed farmers busy, worry of crop failure: Various local reports highlight onion seed sowing trends and concerns, including in Rajbari, Mujibnagar, and Baliadangi: . . .
More on these stories from Bangladesh seed industry news
Cambodia
Seeds distributed in Prasat Bakong: From March 1 to 3, 2022, officials distributed a large quantity of packages of mixed vegetable seeds as part of the government’s food reserve project and pandemic-economic response objectives. . . .
Tissue culture for tree conservation: A technical team specialized in tree breeding from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries is experimenting with the production of seedlings using tissue culture, especially rosewood . . .
More Cambodia seed industry news here
China
Zhenjiang seed entity inspections: Recently, the Dantu District Procuratorate of Zhenjiang City, Jiangsu Province, in accordance with the newly revised Seed Law, executed inspections of seed entities, focusing on addressing “weak areas of seed circulation supervision” . . .
China Seed Conference & Nanfan Silicon Valley Forum: The 2022 China Seed Conference and Nanfan Silicon Valley Forum was held in Sanya for three days starting March 19. The theme was "China Seed Industry Revitalization, Nanfan Silicon Valley Rise", with 1 main forum, 13 sub-forums and 100 forums. Focus was on attracting talents for the construction of "Southern Silicon Valley" hub for seed R&D and breeding base. See promo here.
Notice calls for measures for sustained coronavirus control, spring seed supply: Jilin Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs issued a notice to ensure the supply of crops and seeds during the epidemic. . . .
Veg, wheat and corn planting prep in Tianjin: This year, Shuangjie Town Dehu Crop Planting Cooperative invested funds to upgrade its fruit and vegetable greenhouse base. Farmers have also prepared machinery, seeds and fertilizer for the wheat and corn crops to be cultivated in the Dazhangzhuang Town. . .
Wheat seedling R&D to bolster planting capacity in Henan: In Junxian County, Henan Province as well as other nearby places a special campaign for "strengthening seedlings by science and technology " will focus on cultivating seedlings of winter wheat . . .
Beijing Seed Regulations come into force on April 1: New "Beijing Seed Regulations" were officially announced. The regulations, which take effect on April 1, focus on stimulating breeding innovation . . .
Baoshan City spring ploughing prep and seed inspections: The current period is critical for spring ploughing and preparations, and it is also a peak period for seed sales. . . .
More China Seed Industry News here
India
Major boost to hemp industry: Acceptance of cannabis is slowly gaining ground, as more states allow cannabis cultivation for limited purposes. . . .
India looks to Canada and Israel to boost fertilizer imports: India is boosting fertiliser imports from nations including Canada and Israel after the disruption of shipments caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine. . . .
APSA Executive Director in skill development talk: APSA Executive Director Dr Kanokwan Chodchoey spoke at the 3rd Annual conference of 5F Farming on ‘Realigning Indian Agriculture for a Sustainable Future’, held March 10-12 in Bhubaneswar-Odisha, India, . . .
More from India Seed Industry News
Indonesia
Indonesia further restricts palm oil exports: Indonesia has announced plans to further restrict exports of palm oil so as to increase domestic supplies in the face of surging cooking oil prices.. . .
NGO warns against forest to farm plan in Papua: ‘Climate researchers’ have warned against a plan to clear 2.7 millions of hectares of forests in Indonesia’s easternmost region of Papua for food crops . . .
Read more Indonesia Seed Industry News
Japan
Value of apple exports increased: According to figures from the Ministry of Finance, the total export value of domestic apples from September 2021 to January 2022 was USD 90 million, an increase of 4% from the previous year. . . .
Seedless bell peppers to hit the shelves in April: Ueki (Yokohama City), a general horticultural trading company, applied for registration of seedless peppers developed by the company under the variety name 'Tanera', which are the world's first seedless bell pepper. . . .
Korea
Native seed production promoted: Incheon Upcycle Eco Center, an environmental education facility is promoting the cultivation of native crops, including the history of native crops, characteristics, and cultivation methods together with eco-friendly farming methods. . . .
Suwon City opens 'Green Curtain seed sharing campaign': Suwon City has been encouraging residents to grow seeds of plants such as morning glory, black peony, loofah, and celadon gourd by giving away free seeds under its Green Curtain project, which the city started in 2018. . . .
Native seed conservation gaining support: Researchers have pointed out that approximately 55,000 native seeds are being preserved by government agencies, which is only about a quarter of the total registered genetic resources of the National Agricultural Genetic Resource Center of the Rural Development Administration. . . .
More from Korea Seed Industry News
Myanmar
Myanmar bean and pulse exports: According to figures released by the Ministry of Commerce, Myanmar exported more than 710,000 tons of beans and pulses worth USD 556 million between October 2021 and February 2022,. . .
More from Myanmar Seed Industry News
Pakistan
Pakistan mandates 12 new pest declarations for Zea mays imports: In a move that took importers completely by surprise, Pakistan on 28 January introduced 12 additional declarations for pests -- including several already present there and others not associated with seed – to conditions governing import of Zea mays (enlisted maize) seed.. . .
This and more from Pakistan Seed Industry News
Philippines
Customs intercepts undeclared seeds in sports shoes: Customs officials seized flowers seeds, misdeclared as shoes. The seeds, which were reportedly smuggled from Indonesia, were confiscated by personnel of the Bureau of Customs (BOC) Cebu-Subport of Mactan . . .
Philippines SPS update: BPI considers removal of 14 pests from list: March 2022: APSA has learned from CropLife Asia that the Department of Agriculture’s Bureau of Plant Industry Pest Risk Analysis team has made consideration to remove 14 pests – 10 for corn, 3 for egg plant and one for watermelon. . . .
Revised biotechnology regulations to speed up approvals: The International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA) has reported on revised biotechnology regulations, which “aim to improve the bureaucratic process and speed up the approval of biotech products that impact food security”. . .
Restrictive seed treatment policy in Philippines creates bottlenecks
Strict enforcement of both pre-shipment and post-entry seed requirements has led to delays in deliveries and shipments
These and more from Philippines Seed Industry News
Thailand
Fertilizer supply sufficient for May planting: Thailand is looking to increase fertiliser imports from Saudi Arabia to ensure sufficient supply during the peak plantation season. . . .
Corn feed demand dropping as fertilizer prices rising: Citing a USDA GAINS report forecast that corn imports are forecast to decline 17%, while local production is forecast to drop 4% in MY2021/22 from MY2020/21, . . .
More Thailand Seed Industry News here
Viet Nam
Hail storms, floods damage crops in Central Highlands: March 27: Standing vegetable and flower crops in and near the resort city of Da Lat in the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong were damaged while flooding was also reported in some areas. . . .
Chilli pepper exporters given green light for China: The General Department of Customs of China recently announced the approval of five Vietnamese enterprises producing fresh chili peppers to be the first entities to be licensed to export officially again to China following a temporary stop. . . .
Coffee farmers protest over lost land rights: Some 100 coffee growers from the Ea Kiet village of Cu M’Gar district in Vietnam’s Central Highlands engaged in protest after reportedly losing land rights in a court ruling. . . .
Coffee industry growing, facing challenges: Vietnam, which is the second-largest exporter of coffee after Brazil, exported more than US$3 billion worth of coffee in 2021 and is expected to reach US$6 billion worth of exports by 2030. . . .
Viet Nam export rice hits a 3.5 month high: Export prices of Vietnamese rice hit a three-and-a-half-month high. . .
High desalination in March, to subside in April: The Mekong River Delta along Vietnam’s southern coast would show increased levels of salinity this March, but the levels would likely decrease starting in April. . . .
More Viet Nam Seed Industry News
The above is only a sample of what’s new. For more of all the latest news updates from around the region, visit our respective news portals by country:
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Australia |
Bangladesh |
Cambodia |
China |
India |
Indonesia |
Japan |
Korea, South |
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Laos |
Malaysia |
Myanmar |
Nepal |
New Zealand |
Pakistan |
Philippines |
Singapore |
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Thailand |
Turkey |
Vietnam |
Central Asia |
Middle East |
International |
Asian Seed magazine Vol. 28 No.1 (Quarter 1, 2022)
Password: QualitySeedQ1
In 2022’s first issue of Asian Seed & Planting Material there is a lot of timely and topical content. The cover theme and story of the issue is about the harmonization and international seed trade treaties rules, standards, obligations and terms, providing an overview and introduction to important foundational texts such as TRIPS, UPOV 1991, ITPGRFA and Nagoya Protocol, specifically ifrom the perspective of Asian Pacific countries. The President’s Address talks about the impacts of the Ukraine-Russia conflict and how the resilience of the seed industry will persist through this ‘trial’ just as we are with respect to the pandemic. A jumper of updates are provided in the Executive Director’s Address, including on APSA’s recent and upcoming progress, initiatives, events and collaborations. There is also some topical contributions from Access to Seeds Index and IHS Markit analysis of the regional and global seed sector landscapes, respectively. In addition, there are comprehensive updates from APSA Technical Affairs, other news and upcoming events. The issue can be downloaded by clicking the thumbnail.
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