Quality Seed | Quality Life
October 2021 Newsletter
Welcome everyone to the APSA newsletter and podcast for October 2021.
It is my pleasure to keep our members updated through these channels on key highlights of our activities and outreach efforts this past month.
I’ll start with a report recently published by the OECD on “the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on global and Asian seed supply chains. Some of the report’s findings are based on survey responses from 132 APSA company members inside and outside the APAC region.
We would like to thank all respondents for their great contribution to this survey and thus report, the summary for which can be used by regulators and other government officers to understand the importance of digitalization, and the international framework for quality seed production. The link to download this report is here.
I would like to take this opportunity on behalf of APSA to thank our associates at the World Vegetable Center, ISF and OECD for great collaboration.
The USDA with APSA and ASTA is organizing Seed Quality Management Workshops for Cambodian officials and academicians.
See Cambodia news here
Also this month, we worked to support our members on a number of important policy advocacy initiatives to address concerns raised by our committee and general members about certain issues impacting seed trade.
One of these concerns an Office Memorandum announced by the Indian government on 16 September. APSA has worked with FSII and NSAI to submit a letter seeking clarification on the OM, which concerns phytosanitary certification of seeds that were re-exported before import to India. A Consultation meeting will be organized and we will work closely with the national seed associations to share our views and ensure the challenges can be addressed.
We have received a positive response from the Chinese government on recommendations APSA offered in letter to give feedback on recently proposed phytosanitary measures concerning ToBRFV and the import of tomato and pepper seeds. The Chinese delegation notified the WTO on 19 October that seeds harvested before 1st November could be exempted from field inspection requirements, and the competent phytosanitary authorities of the exporting country shall indicate in the additional declaration of the Phytosanitary Certificate that "The seeds were harvested before 1 November 2021 and are free from ToBRFV as tested by RT-PCR or real-time RT-PCR before exporting. For more information, see seed industry updates from China below.
Moving on to the development of plant breeding innovation policy in Asia, the Department of Agriculture in the Philippines (DA-Phi) has drafted new rules and procedures to evaluate and determine products of plant breeding innovation (PBIs). The guidelines include the classification of Product of PBIs referring to the definition of GMO and non-GMOs, which mainly focus on whether or not the product contains a novel combination of genetic material.
APSA has worked with PSIA and ISF to jointly submit comments to the DA-Phi and will keep you updated on progress and developments.
We have also received an update from Euroseeds on the consultation period announced by the European Union Commission to collect feedback about an initiative to conduct an impact assessment as part of its intention to enact new legislation for plants produced by certain new genomic techniques.
We support the Commission’s initiative to enact legislation that is consistent with the finding of their recent study, and the statement that certain New Genome Techniques or NGTs can be used to produce alterations of the genetic material that can also be obtained by natural mutations or conventional breeding techniques.
Furthermore, we concur with the conclusion by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) that plants obtained by targeted mutagenesis and cisgenesis have the same risk profile as plants produced with conventional breeding, and thus should not be subject to the same regulatory oversight and processes as GMOs.
We are pleased about such progress being made, both in the Philippines and the EU, and and we look forward to hearing about such progress updates from other countries, regionally and globally.
Next, I would like to draw attention to a development on the recently submitted draft amendment to the Seed Law of the People’s Republic of China. APSA has worked together with regional stakeholders and ISF to jointly submit comments on the draft, specifically concerning aspects of PVP and the recognition of essentially derived varieties (EDVs), and ensuring alignment with with UPOV 1991.
We have been working closely with several seed industry and breeding organizations through an EDV Working Group to draft updates to UPOV’s explanatory notes on EDV, which includes the ISF, CLI, CIOPORA, APSA, AFSTA, Eurosees and SAA.
In addition to reaching out to China as mentioned, we also submitted comments to IP Australia during its respective consultation period as part of a process to update its legislation. We received a positive response from IP Australia (see news from Australia below) and we look forward to hearing an update from UPOV regarding updates to its EDV explanatory notes.
With that, I would like to encourage all APSA members to share with our Secretariat team on any hurdles you are facing to run your business. We will make sure to bring the concerns to our attention and collaborate with our stakeholders to support you effectively.
Next, be sure to read all the updates on APSA activities, events, technical affairs and news below.
If you have any suggestions/comments on APSA activities, please feel free to contact me directly. Thank you very much for your support and attention. Please stay safe.
May Chodchoey,
APSA Executive Director
may@apsaseed.org.
THANK YOU to our digital media sponsors
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES IN CHINA
APSA, in collaboration with the China Seed Association (CSA) will be holding a special event on Friday the 19th of November 2021, Investment Opportunities in China. This event will feature 2 guest speakers from both the China Seed Association and the China National Seed Trade Association, who will come to discuss various Investment Opportunities of the Seed Industry in China and give an Overview of Seed Trade in China. Exclusively for Active APSA Members only, we highly recommend you to attend this event if you wish to learn more about investment opportunities for your seed business in China. For more details and registration, please visit https://web.apsaseed.org/events/investment-opportunities-in-china
APSA VIRTUAL TECHNICAL SESSION 2021
This year, APSA will once again be holding our annual Technical Sessions virtually. On Monday the 22nd of November 2021, the Standing Committee on International Trade & Quarantine Technical Session will be held, followed by the Standing Committee on Seed Technology Technical Session. On Tuesday the 23rd of November 2021, the Standing Committee on Intellectual Property Rights & Biodiversity Technical Session will be held. And on Wednesday the 24th of November 2021, the Special Interest Group on Field Crops Technical Session will be held followed by the Special Interest Group on Vegetables & Ornamentals Technical Session.Participation is free for all APSA Members, but pre-registration is required. For more details and for registration, please visit the official Event Webpage https://web.apsaseed.org/events/apsa-virtual-technical-session-2021
ASIAN SOLANACEOUS & CUCURBITS ROUND TABLE (ASCRT) – SESSION 7
On Wednesday the 1st of December 2021, APSA will be holding Session 7 of the Asian Solanaceous & Cucurbits Round Table Webinar Series (ASCRT). The webinar will feature 2 guest speakers, Dr. David Francis from Ohio State University, USA and Dr. Rex Bernardo from University of Minnesota, USA. Participation is free for all APSA Members, but pre-registration is required. For more details and for registration, please visit the official Event Webpage. https://web.apsaseed.org/events/asian-solanaceous-cucurbits-round-table
ASIAN SEED CONGRESS 2022
We are happy to announce to all APSA Members that the 2022 Asian Seed Congress will be held in Bangkok, Thailand. Next year’s congress will be held as a hybrid event, both in-person and virtually. As of now, congress dates are currently set for 14 – 18 November 2022. As we are currently within the planning process, more details will follow shortly, so please stay tuned.
I would also like to inform all our members of a communication that was sent out 1 November 2021. This communication was a survey was sent out to all Active APSA Voting Representatives regarding the potential host countries for the 2023 Asian Seed Congress. The survey is asking to select your top 3 choices from a total of 5 potential host countries; Australia, Bangladesh, India, New Zealand and Pakistan. The communication also includes a link where our members will be able to access and view each country’s ASC 2023 Proposal Presentation. Please be advised that the survey will close on 10 November 2021, where the results will be presented during the 2021 Annual General Meeting. If you have not yet answered the survey, please do so immediately. Your input is highly recommended and greatly appreciated.
FAO GLOBAL CONFERENCE ON GREEN DEVELOPMENT OF SEED INDUSTRIES
FAO will host the Global Conference on Green Development of Seed Industries, on 4-5 November 2021. FAO conceived this event as a neutral forum for its members, partners, industry leaders, opinion leaders and other stakeholders to engage in focused dialogues on how best to make quality seeds of preferred productive, nutritious and resilient crop varieties available to farmers, especially in food insecure parts of the world that constitute the major focus of FAO’s interventions.
The conference will take place as a virtual meeting. The conference program includes plenary sessions with keynote speakers, a series of eight parallel sessions and a high-level ministerial segment. The FAO Director-General will provide both the opening remarks on 4 November and the concluding remarks on 5 November. For the eight parallel sessions, two each are dedicated to the following four themes: Advanced technologies; Conservation of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture; Crop varietal development and adoption; and Seed systems. Simultaneous interpretation will be provided in English, French and Spanish for all parallel sessions.
We highly recommend all APSA Members to attend this event. For more details, conference agenda and for registration, please visit https://web.apsaseed.org/events/fao-global-conference-on-green-development-of-seed-industries
SAA 2021 ONLINE AGTECH WEBINARS & WORKSHOP
Seed Association of the Americas will be holding their 2021 Online AgTech Webinars & Workshops in November and will gather government representatives, regulatory officials and seed industry colleagues. On November 10, the webinar will focus on Phytosanitary Measures, and on the following day, November 11, the focus will be on Intellectual Property. On November 17, the webinar will focus on Biotechnology and Plant Breeding Innovation. And on the final day of November 18, the focus will be on Seed Treatment. The SAA 2021 Online AgTech Webinar & Workshop is FREE for all to attend, but pre-registration is required. For more details and for registration, please visit http://www.saaseed.org/sitio/en/eventos/519/online-agtech-webinars-workshops
UC DAVIS PLANT BREEDING ACADEMY
The Seed Biotechnology Center at the University of California, Davis has organized a professional development course to teach the principles of plant breeding to seed industry personnel. This two-year course addresses the reduced numbers of plant breeders being trained in academic programs. Participants meet at UC Davis for six sessions over two years. Readings and exercises continue between sessions via the internet to allow participants to maintain their current positions while being involved in the course.
The course is targeted toward personnel currently involved in plant breeding programs who lack the academic background in genetics theory and practice to advance as independent breeders, and to current breeders who desire a refresher course or would like to broaden their expertise. The goal of this course is to develop the skills and abilities of current industry personnel to enable them to become independent breeders or more valuable contributors to larger breeding programs.
Due to COVID-19 delays, instruction for Class VIII of the Plant Breeding Academy will begin in February 2022 and the class will graduate in September 2023.
If you are interested in participating and applying for the UC Davis Plant Breeding Academy Course, please click on the following link for more details. http://pba.ucdavis.edu/Programs/PBA_in_Davis-Class_VIII/
Following are some of the seed industry events that were organized in October, which is the golden month for the Chinese Seed Industry:
Tianjin International Seed Expo kicked off the month’s series of seed expos in China on Oct 16th, with the theme “openness, innovation, cooperation and development”, the expo attracted more than 1,000 seed companies including domestic companies from 30 provinces and international seed companies from Japan, Korea, England, France, Germany and the Netherlands etc. Over 8,000 varieties were demonstrated in the expo.
Next, the 29th China Beijing Seed Congress opened on Oct 18th at the Beijing Expo Garden with the theme “One seed changes the world and Beijing moves first in the seed Industry revitalization”. At the opening ceremony, “National Outstanding contribution Maize Inbred Lines” were released with a total of 55 Maize Inbred Lines being awarded. The expo featured 440 domestic seed companies such as Wuhan Yafei, Shandong Huasheng etc and international Seed Companies represented included seed industry giants Syngenta, Bayer, BASF, and Longping Hi-tech joined this expo. On October 19, Dr. Kanokwan or May also gave a presentation virtually at the International Seed Industry Forum held by CNSTA.The theme of the forum was “Innovation-driven development, cooperation to achieve win-win results”, and mainly focused on the improvement of PVP , PBI, and international cooperation, germplasm and fostering talent to guarantee the innovation and development of seed industry.
The next major expo held was The 3rd Xingtai International Cruciferous Vegetable Industry Conference which this year was held virtually due to restrictions imposed following some covid-19 cases reported recently in Xingtai. The online opening ceremony was held on Oct 22nd. The theme forum was broadcast in Chinese and English to the audience and over 10 million people watched this online forum. On the second day, a total of 2,100 excellent varieties from over 150 seed enterprises and R&D institutes were demonstrated in the field demo, which was broadcast to the online participants. APSA’s Dr. Kanokwan virtually presented at the forum on October 22, under the theme “Variety innovation, seed industry revitalization, industrial integration”. Presentations covered the latest market and technical trends of the cruciferous seed industry.
And finally, there is the Zhengzhou Seed Industry Expo which is planned to be held from Oct 30th to Nov 2nd, with the opening ceremony planned Nov 1st. According to the organizer, there will be over 6,000 varieties demonstrated at the expo. Due to the resurgence of Covid-19 cases in some areas, some restrictions will apply.
Moreover, the Guangdong Seed Expo is scheduled to be held 10 – 12 December 2021; however, this could change and we will keep you updated in next month’s newsletter.
APSA executive director Dr Kanokwan or May congratulated expo organizers in opening remarks, which were broadcast virtually in the expos of Beijing, Xingtai and Zhenzhou. In sum, APSA hopes these expos will play an important role on seed industry communication and cooperation. See her address here.
The details, benefits and timeline for the APSA-WorldVeg Consortium can be found on the APSA website, the webpage for which Is linked from the newsletter.
A bitter gourd field day will be held on 18th December 2021 at ICAR-Indian Institute of Horticultural Research, Bangalore to demonstrate the 2021 APSA-WorldVeg Vegetable Breeding Consortium exclusive lines. Only the 2021 consortium companies are eligible to attend this field day. Registration will begin on November 01, 2021 and will end on November 30, 2021. Please be noted that On-site registration is now allowed. If you want to join it, please make sure to register in advance.
As this Bitter Gourd field demo is for 2021 APSA-WorldVeg Consoritium members only, if you want to join the field demo, please don’t hesitate to join 2021 APSA-WorldVeg Consortium by the following the link in the newsletter. To register you will need to log in as an APSA member
here register online (member-only) or contact Xiaofeng Li. (xiaofeng_APSA@163.com)
SC Seed Technology met on October 28th to fine-tune plans for the APSA Seed Technology Virtual Technical Session. You should not miss it, it will be held on November 22 at 3-5 pm Bangkok time. The first presentation topic of APSA Seed Academy Program Launching will be presented by SC Co-Chair Dr. Manish Patel, which will be followed by a very exciting session of APSA Seed Technology Champion Forum, to be moderated by committee member, Dr Sandeep Jadli. It is an interactive session where participants will have a chance to become an ‘APSA Seed Tech Champion’ by outperforming others in the selected quiz. Tip: please visit the APSA website to see the past APSA Seed Technology Webinar session 1-3 to prep. Good luck!
Another interesting agenda item planned in this session is a Roundtable Discussion on “What are the Roles of Seed Technologists to Ensure Sustainability in Agriculture?” , which will be moderated by Dr. Rob Pronk, Global Marketing Manager, INCOTEC Group BV. We are pleased to welcome as panelists Prof. Kent Bradford (Distinguished Professor Emeritus, Department of Plant Sciences, UC Davis), Dr. Steven Groot (Senior Researcher, Wageningen University & Research) and Mr Simon Watt (Chief Technology & Innovation Officer, Activate AG LABS). Register now!
SC IPR & Biodiversity have been busy working to promote awareness of IPR & Plant Variety Protection, which is central to APSA’s key strategic plans. And thus, we have allocated an entire session on November 23 to include timely and important presentation topics as follows:
The first presentation will feature a general update on the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA) and Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) by Ms Anke van den Hurk (Deputy Director, Plantum). After that Dr. Shivendra Bajaj ( Executive Director, Federation of Seed Industry of India or FSII) will be an Update of ABS Legislation in India. As Dr Bajaj has noted, India is signatory to all treaties related to Access and Benefit Sharing of biological resources.
Next Ms. Daphne Yong d’Hervé (Director, Peace and Prosperity, International Chamber of Commerce or ICC) will give an update on The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), and facilitate Discussions Relating to ABS and ‘Digital Sequence Information’. The presentation will explain the negotiating process and dynamics, the possible evolution of the discussions, and the potential implications for business. After that Mr. Satoshi Nakano (Section Chief, Global Environmental Affairs Office, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan or MAFF) will delve into an Update on International Discussions on Farmers’ Rights.
This is a good chance you should not miss to get the latest updates on biodiversity related topics!
For Plant Variety Protection (PVP) topics, we would like to recommend you to join this session, to learn more about the PVP Survey Result by World Farmer Organization (WFO) by Ms. Hélène Khan Niazi (ISF International Agricultural Manager). After that our Chair, Dr. Arvind Kapur will present survey results for Plant Breeder’s Right (PBR) and Farmer’s Rights: What is Happening in the APAC Region?
Last but not least, Mr. Harendra Singh (Managing Director, Rijk Zwaan India) will enlighten us on a very crucial topics of Infringement in the APAC Region and the Introduction of the Seed Innovation and Protection Initiative (SIPI).
SC International Trade and Quarantine met on October 27 to discuss updates on various phytosanitary measures and issues, as mentioned in the introduction. Besides, the committee has confirmed topics for the upcoming APSA Virtual Technical Session, in which the committee’s session will be held from 12.00 -14.00 hrs ICT on November 22. It will start with the Launching of the South and Southeast Asia Access to Seeds Index presented by Ms Aarti Misal (Senior Researcher, World Benchmarking Alliance). The 2021 Access to Seeds Index benchmarks 31 seed companies in South and South-east Asia on efforts to make their products available to smallholder farmers. Ultimately, the index evaluates seed companies’ contributions to achieving Sustainable Development Goal 2: Zero Hunger.
The next interesting topic will be on “OECD Seed Trade Report on Impact of COVID-19 on Seed Sector” by Mr Csaba Gaspar (Program Manager, OECD Seed Schemes) which will include the latest detailed analysis as covered in the report.
The session’s third topic will be on the EU Plant Health Regulation and International Perspective, to be delivered by Mr François Burgaud (Counsellor of the President, SEMAE) who will present on the EU perspective, while Dr Rose Souza Richards (ISF Seed Health Manager) will complement with an international (global) perspective.
After that the committee’s Chair, Mr Michael Leader, will present a Summary of the 7th Phytosanitary Expert Consultation and STDF proposal. The session will conclude with the exciting Award Announcement of APSA Recognition Award for the Most Influential Entomologists and Plant Pathologists in the Asian Seed Sector, which will be announced by APSA President Mr. Wichai Laocharoenpornkul.
SIG Field Crops is excited for the upcoming APSA Virtual Technical Session on Field Crops to be held 12.00 – 2 pm ICT on November 24, featuring three exciting topics. It will start with “Prospect of Popcorn in India” presented by Dr Sain Dass (Ex-Director, ICAR-Indian Institute of Maize Research) who will provide you with fruitful information on this topic. The second topic will be on the “New Technology for Field Crops Breeding / MNP Marker Method, an Efficient Way for Breeding and Plant Variety Protection” by Dr Li Tiantain (Institute for Systems Biology, Jianghan University, China). MNP Marker is one of the novel types of DNA marker. The new method has been adopted as the Chinese national standard for the determination of plant identities with such applications as registration and protection of plant variety intellectual property rights, and can help tackle several challenging problems such as identification of essentially derived variety (EDV), Seed quality control, and traceability of agricultural products.
The third topic will be on Golden Rice: Biotechnology Milestone for Improved Nutrition in the Philippines by Dr. Ronan G Zagado (Head, Development Division, Philippines Rice Research Institute, the Philippines). Golden Rice is a new type of rice produced through modern biotechnology that is biofortified with beta carotene (vitamin A precursor). In this presentation, Dr Zagado will share his own experience in the journey to developing and deploying Golden Rice in the Philippines.
After that the committee’s Chair will give an overview of this year's activities for all participants, before moving on to the final agenda of the session; Award Announcement: APSA Recognition Award for Most Influential Plant Breeding Researchers in the Asia Pacific Seed Sector for Field Crops, which will be presented by APSA President, Mr Wichai.
The Special Interest Group on Vegetables and Ornamentals or SIG Veg & Orn: met on 21st October. The SIG V&O group will organize the technical session on November 24 at 3-5pm ICT. The details of the agenda and the speakers have been announced on APSA website and the registration is open for APSA members. The session will be highlighting the importance of nutritious fruits and vegetables and production technologies to sustain global food security under the umbrella of the International Year of Fruits and Vegetables (IYFV). The SIG Veg & Orn members also reviewed the progress and the agenda for the upcoming WIC meeting, and started to discuss the physical activities that could be arranged in 2022 including a study tour. More updates on this will be shared next year. The next meeting of the SIG V&O will happen in 2022 and will be updated in the next podcast/newsletter.. Following are updates from the group’s sub-committees:
The Working Group of Integrated Vegetable and Seed Companies: In recent developments, the Train the Trainers 2021 program was successfully organized on 19th and 20th October, under the theme of “Intellectual Property Rights Protection and Clean Seed Production”: 42 participants from WIC member companies participated in the program. Moreover, the follow-up webinar for the WIC participants who attended the 2020 Train the Trainers program was also conducted on 8th October, under the APSA PVP toolbox program in collaboration with Naktuinbouw and UPOV. The WIC group will meet virtually on November 26. APSA secretariat, the WIC Chair and Co-chair reviewed the progress of the action points of the group and finalized the WIC meeting agenda for the upcoming virtual meeting on November 26. The new initiatives include the vegetable landscape report and key burning issues in the APAC region for the group to work on as well as the disease prevention program (DPP) to be considered as an initiative to work among WIC companies. The group will also discuss the short- and long-term plan for the University Connect program, which aimsto create a talent pool in the region. Currently, the National Seed Associations of seven countries, including Bangladesh, the Philippines, India, China, Pakistan, Malaysia and Thailand have confirmed participation in the University Connect Program. Starting from September, the academic institutions under this program started to send their students and lecturers to join all webinar series of ASCRT and Seed Technology organized by APSA. The summary of the meeting will be shared in the next podcast, stay tuned for the podcast in November.
Disease Resistance Terminology Working Group will have its next meeting on November 8. The group will discuss the progress of the ongoing project of Powdery mildew resistance in Bitter gourd. DRT members will also finalize the plan for future crops and pathogens under the group so more updates on DRT will be available next month. APSA’s DRT group will also participate in ISF’s DRT meeting on November 12 and will share the list of pathogen codes compiled by APSA DRT WG.
The R&D Advisory Group met on 25 October. The 6th webinar of the ASCRT webinar series was held on October 27 and 182 APSA members and 52 participants from the universities registered under University Connect Program joined. The 7th ASCRT webinar is scheduled to be held on December 1st under the theme of “Insights into Predictive Breeding and Genomic Selection''. The registration for this webinar will open at the start of November. For the Most Influential Plant Breeding Researchers Award Program, the awardees will be announced in the Virtual Technical session of SIG Veg&Orn and Field Crop on 24 November. The group started to discuss next year’s activities which include plans for a physical Asian Solanaceous Round Table which, to be held on 11-13 May in Bangalore, India and the Asian Cucurbits Round Table which is planned for 25-26 July in Thailand, together with a bitter gourd field day on 27th July 2022. The ASCRT webinar series and the recognition program will still continue to be held through to next year.
As part of APSA’s digitalization and digitization strategy, in 2021 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. So, come learn about our dynamic, new and improving digital channels and communication tools, which will help you engage and impress thousands of APSA members and other seed industry stakeholders more efficiently and effectively, whether to build brand awareness, affiliation or corporate identity, or to attract and drive specific audiences directly to you, your services and products, we can assist you!
In sum, our 2021 ‘New Normal’ offerings include:
See our media kit and rate sheet below for specifics, and for inquiries don’t hesitate to email Bobbie (komsak@apsaseed.org) or Mike (mike@apsaseed.org)
Euroseeds successfully concludes 2021 physical Congress: The Euroseeds annual Congress was successfully organized as a physical conference in Prague from October 18 to 20. . . .
APSA nods EU regulatory initiative to enable new NGTs in Plant Breeding APSA has submitted comments in support of an initiative by the EU Commission to gather feedback to propose legislation that would enable the application of certain new genomic techniques (NGTs) in plant breeding.. . .
FAO publishes IYPH final report: The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has published the final report for the International Year of Plant Health (IYPH). Titled ‘Protecting plants, protecting life”, the report summarizes various activities and initiatives carried out across the world in the past year. . . .
Eastern and Southern Africa Access to Seeds Index launched: The World Benchmarking Alliance has launched the 2021 Access to Seeds Index with a focus on companies in Eastern and Southern Africa. . . .
ISF adds maize to public Pest List database: The International Seed Federation has made available online the crop specific maize (Zea mays) pest list via the ISF Regulated Pest List . . . .
ISF, ASTA and CLI publish gene-editing fact sheets: The International Seed Federation has published six gene-editing facts sheets, which were compiled and provided by ISF, the American Seed Trade Assocation (ASTA) and Crop Life International. . . .
Webinar raises PVP awareness amongst Thai and Filipino seed associations: APSA, in collaboration with Naktuinbouw & UPOV, on October 8 organized a PVP Toolbox workshop-webinar for members of the Thai Seed Trade Association (THASTA) and the Philippine Seed Industry Association (PSIA). . . .
FAO video on Systems Approach: The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) on September 27 published a video titled “Understanding systems approach” on its Youtube channel. . . .
Details on these on our international seed industry news page
IP Australia agrees to review approach to EDVs in 'forward agenda' IP Australia – the Australian Government agency that administers intellectual property (IP) rights and legislation relating to patents, trademarks, designs and plant breeder's rights – has confirmed with international seed industry stakeholders that legislators in the Oceanic nation would review its approach to Essentially Derived Varieties (EDVs) as part of its “forward legislative agenda”. . . .
Updates from the ASF: The September 2021 Australian Seed Federation newsletter contains a number of important updates. . . .
More details on these and other stories in the Australia seed industry news page
USDA, APSA and ASTA enhance Cambodian capacity in Seed Quality Management Workshops: The United States Department of Agriculture Foreign Agriculture Service (USDA-FAS) on October 28 joined efforts with Asia and Pacific Seed Alliance (APSA) and American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) to co-organize the first of two online Seed Quality Management System workshops for more than 60 Cambodian officials and academicians. . . .
More on these and more in Cambodia seed industry news
Uzbek delegation seeks climate-resilient crop options from ICRISAT: The
International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics welcomed a visit to its Indian headquarters by an Uzbek delegation seeking options for crops that could thrive in the extreme fluctuating weather and climate conditions in Uzbekistan. . . .
More on these and more in Central Asia seed industry news
China NPPO updates tomato, pepper seed ToBRFV phyto measures: The General Administration of Customs of People’s Republic of China has notified the World Trade Organization’s Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures of an addendum (G/SPS/N/CHN/1223/Add.1) to recently-announced phytosanitary measures concerning Tomato brown rugose fruit virus (ToBRFV in tomato and pepper (Capsicum sp.) seeds imported into China. . . .
Seed industry advocates for international alignment in draft amendment of China Seed Law: APSA recently joined efforts with several international seed industry and plant breeding organizations to provide comments as part of the public consultation stage to review proposed amendments to China’s Seed Law. . . .
See all China seed industry news here
Telangana suppliers told not to sell paddy seed to farmers: The Telangana government has reportedly told seed companies to “not sell paddy seeds to farmers at any cost” for sowing in the ongoing Rabi season. . . .
Consultations to address seed shipments affected by OM: The Federation of Seed Industry of India (FSII) on October 20 informed its members that the Plant Protection Advisor (PPA) -- of the Directorate of Plant Protection Quarantine & Storage, Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Government of India – has agreed to consultations with private and public sector seed industry representatives . . . .
Bayer to divest portion of India portfolio: Bayer CropScience has entered into an agreement with crop solutions company, Crystal Crop Protection Ltd to transfer its India businesses in Cotton, Mustard, Pearl Millet and Grain Sorghum hybrids in India. . . .
These stories in more on Indian seed industry news page
New ISTA accredited lab in Indonesia: October. The International Seed Testing Association (ISTA) has announced that PT BISI International Tbk, Quality Control Laboratory, in Indonesia is now an #ISTA Accredited Laboratory Member. . . .
These stories in more on Indonesian seed industry news page
Gene-editing tomato on sale to public: Japanese start-up Sanatech Seed has announced that its Sicilian Rouge High GABA tomato has gone on sale commercially. . . .
Fukushima vegetables to be harvested: Fields planted with various types of vegetables in August and September in Fukushima trial fields are set to be harvested in October and November. . . .
Read these stories and more in Japan seed industry news
Nongwoo Bio gets ISTA Accreditation for vegetable seed tests The International Seed Testing Association (ISTA) on October 22 announced and congratulated Nongwoo Bio Co.as the latest accredited seed laboratory member in South Korea. . . .
Read these stories and more in our Korea seed industry news
NGSTA launches Industry Facts: The New Zealand Grain and Seed Trade Association has developed an A4 fact sheet on the vital importance of the seed sector to NZ’s economy. . . .
PVR Quarterly Journal Updates: The latest quarterly edition of New Zealand’s Plant Variety Rights Journal has been circulated. . . .
These and more on New Zealand seed industry news
Govt to distribute subsidised wheat seeds, fertilizer: One million farmers are marked to receive “high-yielding certified wheat seed varieties” to sow in the coming Rabi or dry season. . . .
Startup platform addressing ag supply chain issues gets more funding: Tazah Technologies, a B-2-B agriculture marketplace startup based in Lahore, has announced it has raised a $2 million in a pre-seed funding round. . . .
Read more on Pakistan seed industry news
Turkish NPPO evaluates seed phyto measure feedback:
APSA on October 20 received official confirmation Turkey’s Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry that industry feedback on emergency phytosanitary measures is under evaluation. . . .
More on Turkey seed industry news page
Phyto issues prompts revoking of certain planting area codes: Nongnghieb reports on recent moves by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) and Plant Protection Department (PPD) to revoke implement corrective measures for reported phytosanitary violations . . .
F1 paddy shows promise in highlands: DT21 is an F1 hybrid rice variety, of which trials have shown good adaptability in the Vietnamese highlands, especially around the province of Lao Cai. . .
These and more in Vietnam 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:
|
Australia |
Bangladesh |
Cambodia |
China |
India |
Indonesia |
Japan |
Korea, South |
|
Laos |
Malaysia |
Myanmar |
Nepal |
New Zealand |
Pakistan |
Philippines |
Singapore |
|
Thailand |
Turkey |
Vietnam |
Central Asia |
Middle East |
International |
Asian Seed magazine Vol. 27 No.3 (Quarter 3, 2021)
The latest issue of Asian Seed Magazine or Q3-2021 of Volume 27 has a whole lot of content covering various aspects of breeding and seed trade trends, policies, regulations, legislation, technology and innovation. The issue opens with the quarterly addresses from APSA President Khun Wichai, and Executive Director, Dr. Kanokwan or May − which put the past 18 months into perspective for the seed sector, as well as provide some important reminders and details about APSA’s upcoming Annual General Meeting. Then there are important seed industry editorials and news, including on gene-editing regulatory trends in Japan and the Philippines, as well as other news updates from leading seed companies in the region.
The cover story encompasses theme of seed and plant phytosanitary affairs and measures following APSA’s recent Expert Consultation on Phytosanitary Collaboration in the Asia-Pacific, which is accompanied by a feature story providing some insights into the dozen of plant pandemics and epidemics that are of concern for international food security. There’s also a seed trade trends report for maize and wheat sowing seed, highlighting peculiar import and export trends of all of the Asia-Pacific countries for this type of seed, including China, India, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Korea, Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Pakistan, among others. Furthermore, the issue has quarterly updates from all of APSA’s Standing Committees and Special Interest Groups, including upcoming and past activities and events, which you don’t want to miss.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
© 2020, 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.
