Quality Seed | Quality Life
September 2021 Newsletter
Welcome all to the September 2021 APSA newsletter and podcast. We hope that everyone is remaining healthy and happy as the seasons begin to shift.
On behalf of the APSA Secretariat, Executive Committee and Special Interest Group of Field Crops, we would like to express our deepest condolences to the families and colleagues of Mr. Hardeep Grewel who was head of Field Crops APAC from Syngenta Asia Pacific and an active SIG Field Crops member who contributed much to and helped shape the committee. He passed away on 20 September and will be missed by all of us. We also regret to inform everyone, that on that same day, another active member of APSA and a former American Seed Trade Association chairman, Mr. Kelly Grant Keithly of Keithly-Williams Seeds in the US also passed away. Mr. Kelly pioneered the advancement of hybrid seeds in North America. We would like to express our deepest condolences to his family and friends.
An active member of APSA’s Special Interest Group on Field Crops, Hardeep was the Head of Field Crops APAC at Syngenta Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd. and a member of the Syngenta Global Seeds Leadership Team, having joined the company in 2010. He had over 30 years of agribusiness, seeds and biotech experience in global, regional and country roles across Asia.Hardeep is survived by his wife and three children. Read more, pay tribute via link here.
Kelly Grant Keithly, 76, of Keithly-Williams Seeds in Yuma, Arizona in 1981 established Keithly-Williams Seeds, a vegetable seed distribution operation which has become recognized as one of the largest in the world. Kelly Keithly is survived by his wife of 56 years, Cheryl; his children, Kirin (Pat) Cooley of Yuma, AZ; Karla (Jason) Auringer of Wentzville, MO; Ernie (Erica) Keithly of Spring Hills, TN and SueAnn (Jimmy) Harbolt of Yuma, AZ. He is also survived by 13 grandchildren and 5 great-grandchildren. Read more here.
Next, we would like to keep everyone informed about the announcement of our virtual Annual General Meeting, which will be held on 25 November. This year we will fill four (4) seats on the APSA Executive Committee (two seats for seed enterprises or government agency, one seat for seed association category and one seat for associate category). The nominations of six candidates have been approved and ratified by EC members, and the candidate profiles will be updated on our website and APSA members will also be notified through our direct communication channels.
It is very important that 25% of total active members join the AGM to meet quorum so we can proceed with our agenda. We will keep members updated and reminded through email and through SMS notification, so please make sure to update your mobile phone contact information by contacting Komsak via komsak@apsaseed.org.
As for technical affairs update, our SIGs and SCs have finalized preparations for the upcoming virtual technical sessions during 22 - 24 November. Session details will be announced to APSA members starting from mid-October. This past month, we have numerous policy updates, including about an amendment to the seed rules in Pakistan, phytosanitary measures for tomato, pepper and pumpkin seeds in Turkey, the drafting of guidelines for plant breeding innovations via the Department of Agriculture of the Philippines, as well as the drafting of amendments to the Seed Law in China.
APSA’s Standing Committee on International Trade and Quarantine has been led efforts to propose recommendations and suggestions to these proposed policies, and their efforts underline the important role of APSA as a voice of the seed industry and to support the public sector. More details are covered below in the Technical Affairs and seed industry news sections.
If you have any suggestions/comments on APSA activities, please feel free to contact Executive Director, Dr. Kanokwan Chodchoey directly via may@apsaseed.org.
Thank you very much for your support and attention. Please stay safe.
THANK YOU to our digital media sponsors
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Starting with the WorldVeg Consortium update. (Details, benefits and timeline for the Consortium can be found here), the Inception workshop for the Heat Stress Tolerance or HST special project was held on Sep 9 2021, which means the project will be commencing, with the first batch of seeds to be shipped soon.
The 2021 Consortium Field Demo for exclusive tomato and pepper lines, will be held in May 2022 in India together with the 2022 APSA-WorldVeg Consortium Annual Workshop and the 4th Asian Solanaceous Round Table or ASRT.
The 2021 Field Demo consortium for exclusive bittergourd lines will be held in December 2021 or January 2022 in India.
The above two Field Demos are only open to 2021 Consortium members; if you want to join these two field demos, please don’t hesitate to join the 2021 APSA-WorldVeg Consortium via link to register online (member-only) or contact Xiaofeng Li. (xiaofeng_APSA@163.com)
Moreover, we are planning to have a bitter gourd field demo in Bangkok in July 2022 which is planned to be held together as an in person Asian Cucurbits Round Table or ACRT meeting.
SC Seed Technology successfully organized APSA’s Seed Technology Webinar 3 held on September 15. The committee was very pleased to bring on two outstanding speakers, Mr. Alan Gaul (Seed Conditioning Specialist, ISU Seed Science Center, Iowa State University) and Mr. Tim Loeffler (Business Owner, Seed Vigor Consulting LLC) who presented under the theme of “Physical & Physiological Seed Upgrading”. The webinar received a lot of interest with 536 registration in total (429 APSA members and 107 non- members) and 240 attendance (162 APSA members and 78 non- members). The committee also had a meeting on September 21st to discuss the preparation of APSA Virtual Technical Session for Seed Technology in November, which one of the agenda will be a quiz to find “APSA Seed Technology Champion”. Stay tuned for more details of this exciting event next month!
SC IPR & Biodiversity committee members have been communicating via emails on several activities. First, the committee has been working tediously to comment on the draft letter of the contribution in response to the public consultation related to the China Draft Seed Law, which APSA will co-sign the letter with ISF, CIOPORA, Euroseeds, AFSTA and SAA. Second, APSA also arranged the first meeting of the e-Learning platform for APSA PVP Toolbox Program in collaboration with Naktuinbouw & UPOV on September 22nd. Thirteen (13) representatives from Philippine Seed Industry Association (PSIA) and 12 reps from Thai Seed Trade Association (ThaSTA) will join this interesting module. One of the objectives of this activity is to build the capacity of national seed associations and their stakeholders on the importance of Plant Variety Protection and UPOV1991 convention through a tailor-made program specific for each target country. Participants will also join the Live-session to be held on October 8 for more interaction.
Lastly, we are pleased to inform you that the agenda for APSA IPR&Biodiversity virtual technical session has almost been finalized. The topic for biodiversity this time will focus on the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA) updates and Access benefit sharing, digital sequence information (DSI). For the IPR session, we will focus on Plant variety protection topics. More info will be updated next month!
SC International Trade and Quarantine did not have the committee meeting this month, however there were so many updates via emails this past month.
With the tedious work and great support of the committee, on September 24th APSA submitted the talking point letter to H.E. Mr. Imran Khan, the Honourable Prime Minister of Pakistan on the New Amendment of the Seed (Business Regulation) Rules, 2021 under the Seed Act, 1976. Then on September 28, APSA also submitted a talking point letter to the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of Turkey to comments on the WTO notification on the emergency measures for Tomato seeds (Solanum lycopersicum), pepper seeds (Capsicum annuum), pumpkin seeds (Cucurbita pepo). This is a good sample of collaboration between national seed associations and international seed sectors to support the movement of quality seeds globally.
On another note of the update from Working Group of Standard and Trade Development Facility Project Proposal Grant, the group will conduct an internal Validation Workshop on October 1st with all stakeholders before submitting a full STDF proposal on “Strengthening phytosanitary compliances and public private partnership for enhancing seed trade for the Asia-Pacific region”.
Last but not least, the agenda for November Virtual Technical Session for SC International Trade & Quarantine is now finalized. Stay tuned for the announcement next month!
SIG Field Crops As mentioned previously, it is with great sadness for the committee to replay the passing of Mr Hardeep Grewal, member of APSA SIG Field Crops and Head of Field Crops APAC at Syngenta Asia Pacific Pte. Mr Hardeep was always keen to participate and contribute his valuable insights to the group’s initiatives and activities. The committee had a meeting on September 30th and observed a moment of silence for him. May his soul rest in peace.
During the Field Crops meeting, the committee discussed the preparation of APSA Field Crops Webinar session 2 under the theme of Biofortification: Market Development Strategy for Field Crops. Mike will tell you more details shortly. They also discussed the upcoming APSA virtual technical session for field crops in November. The registration for this event will be in October, so stay tuned for more details!
The Special Interest Group on Vegetables and Ornamentals or SIG Veg & Orn under the umbrella of the International Year of Fruits and Vegetables (IYFV) the SIG V&O group has been planning The technical session to be held on November 24 at 3-5pm Bangkok time. The details of the agenda and the speakers will be announced soon. The objective of this session is to create awareness to the participants regarding the nutrition of fruits and vegetables and the vegetable production technology to sustain the global food security (urban farming and safe vegetable production with low or no chemical residue). The next meeting of the SIG V&O is scheduled on 21st October so more updates will come next month. Now I will share the updates from the sub-committees:
The Working Group of Integrated Vegetable and Seed Companies: In recent developments, the agenda for the Train the Trainers 2021 program has been finalized. The theme for the program is “Intellectual property rights protection and clean seed production”. 46 participants from WIC member companies have registered to participate in the program. Moreover, the follow-up webinar for the WIC participants who attended the 2020 Train the Trainers program will be held under the APSA PVP toolbox program, funding for which has been approved by Naktuinbouw to arrange training through a webinar on 8th October 2021 for Thailand and the Philippines in collaboration with UPOV. For the University Connect project, the National Seed Associations of Bangladesh, the Philippines, India, China, Pakistan, Malaysia and Thailand have nominated universities. Once the framework is set amongst participating NSAs, APSA will announce the details of the program by the end of this year. The APSA Secretariat has also started to prepare for the WIC meeting in November 2021. More updates on the upcoming WIC meeting will be shared in the next podcast.
Disease Resistance Terminology Working Group: The DRT group had a meeting on 2nd September. The group discussed the progress of the ongoing project of Powdery mildew resistance in Bitter gourd and followed up with the action points. DRT members also planned for future crops and pathogens. In an effort to harmonize the disease resistance terminologies, APSA DRT group also shared a list of pathogen codes of gourd crops with ISF which will be listed on the ISF website. Next DRT meeting is scheduled to be held on Nov 8, 2021.
The R&D Advisory Group met on 27 Sep. Dr. Simon Jan de Hoop, the Chair or R&D group is stepping down due to a change in his position in his company. R&D members appreciated Dr. Simon’s contributions as Chair. The committee held elections for the new Chair and Co-chair. Dr. Seetharam Annadana from Syngenta India was elected as the new Chair of the group and Dr. John R. Sheedy from Chia Tai Thailand was elected as Co-chair. Members congratulated both of them for the new positions. Moreover, the new R&D member, Dr. Conrado also joined the meeting. The R&D members reviewed the consensus decision of the Jury of the Recognition to Breeders Program. The awardees will be announced in November Technical sessions. The 6th webinar of the ASCRT series is scheduled to be held on October 27 and the registration is open for APSA members.
FIELD CROPS WEBINAR – SESSION 2
On Tuesday the 5th of October 2021, APSA will be holding Session 2 of the Field Crops Webinar Series, with the main focus on Biofortification: Market Development Strategy for Field Crops and will feature 2 guest speakers, Mr. Germán Mingramm, Maize Breeder from Green World Genetics who will present on Biofortification: A Functional Strategy to Reduce Worldwide Malnutrition and Dr. Binu Cherian, Country Manager – India of HarvestPlus who will discuss Scaling Up Biofortification for Nutritious & Sustainable Food Systems. For more details, please visit the official Event Webpage. https://web.apsaseed.org/events/field-crops-webinar
UPOV PVP TOOLBOX TRAINING (INVITE ONLY)
This program, which was approved and supported by Naktuinbouw for arranging a training webinar for the National Seed Associations of Thailand (THASTA) and Philippines (PSIA) on 8th October 2021 under a collaboration with UPOV. Before the webinar is organized, THASTA and PSIA will nominate 25 members in total to attend the full e-learning course. This online course consists of different modules and participates in the questionnaire arranged by the organizers. On 23rd September, there was an online meeting between the attendees and the organizers, where the attendees were given instructions on how to attend the e-learning platform modules. Upon completion of the modules, the 25 attendees will be required to respond to a questionnaire. And on October 8, the webinar will be open for anyone to attend from THASTA and PSIA. On this day, all the attendees of the APSA TTT 2020 program who responded to the post-training survey questionnaire will be invited to attend this webinar. APSA secretariat will share the material with the WIC and FC participants and the participants will be encouraged to arrange the training in their companies. For more information, please visit the official Event Webpage at https://web.apsaseed.org/events/apsa-pvp-toolbox-workshop
SIG VEGETABLES & ORNAMENTALS: TRAIN THE TRAINERS PROGRAM (INVITE ONLY)
APSA will be also be holding the SIG Vegetables and Ornamentals: Train the Trainers Program on the 19th and 20th of October 2021. On October 19, there will be 2 guest speakers, Mr. Michel Devarrewaere, Chair APSA SIG Vegetables and Ornamentals and Mr. Grant Smith, Managing Director at Smith Seeds, New Zealand, talking about the Best Practices in Seed Production for IP Protection. Whereas on October 20, Dr. Sumitra Kantrong, Co-chair APSA SIG Vegetables and Ornamentals and Dr. Petcharat Thummabenjapone, Associate Prof. at Khon Kaen University, Thailand will talk about Best Practices on Clean and Healthy Seed Production. The training is invite-only, specifically for the WIC members, where 2 participants per company are allowed. There will be a pre-evaluation survey questionnaire to get the understanding and expectations of the participants about the subject so that the trainers can plan their materials accordingly. All the participants will be required to conduct the trainings in their companies within 6 months after the training and share a report with APSA secretariat.
ASIAN SOLANACEOUS & CUCURBITS ROUND TABLE (ASCRT) – SESSION 6On Wednesday the 27th of October 2021, APSA will be holding Session 6 of the Asian Solanaceous & Cucurbits Round Table Webinar Series (ASCRT). The main focus of this webinar will be Perspectives on Disease Resistance Breeding Using S-Genes and will feature 3 guest speakers; Dr. Sota Koeda, Associate Professor - Faculty of Agriculture, Kindai University in Japan who will discuss on the Identification of Begomovirus Resistance Gene in Capsicum and the Future Perspective for Resistance Breeding, Dr. Yuling Bai, Plant Breeding Professor at Wageningen University in the Netherlands who will discuss about Susceptibility Reversed: Edited Plant S-Genes for Disease Resistance and finally Dr. Henk Schouten, Senior Scientist in Plant Breeding from Wageningen University in the Netherlands, who will talk about MLO and Amino Acid Permease (AAP) Susceptibility Genes in Cucumber. Participation is free for all APSA Members but pre-registration is required. For more details, please visit the official Event Webpage. https://web.apsaseed.org/events/asian-solanaceous-cucurbits-round-table
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. Registration for this year’s APSA Virtual Technical Session 2021 will open mid-October, so please stay tuned.
KOREAN SEED EXPO 2021
The KOREA SEED EXPO 2021 will be held online from October 6 to November 2! We hope many people will show a lot of interest in KOREA SEED EXPO 2021, which will feature all the latest products, services and innovation from Korean seed companies, agricultural machine, and agricultural material companies. Come and find out about various varieties, genetic resources, and field crops of the seed companies in the demonstration field of K-Seed Valley. For more details, please visit www.koreaseedexpo.com
EUROSEEDS CONGRESS 2021Organizers are happy to announce that all lights are green for the Euro Seed Congress 2021, which will be held both in-person and virtually from the 18th – 20th of October 2021 in Prague, Czech Republic. All necessary precautions will be taken to assure that participants can confidently enjoy a buzzing, vibrant and engaging Congress in a safe and protected environment. Access to the conference venue will be strictly controlled and restricted to pre-registered attendees with vaccination certificate, negative pre-departure antigen or PCR test before arrival or proof of recovery from a covid infection. In addition, all non-vaccinated persons will be required to get daily test before being allowed entry to the Congress. Participation for the Euroseeds 2021 Congress is possible for Euroseeds Members as well as non-Members, for both in-person or on-line registration. For more details, please visit www.euroseedscongress.com
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.
Originally, the course was set to begin in September of 2020 and run through June of 2022. However, due to the COVID pandemic, the initiation of PBA VIII is now delayed with plans to start in the Fall of 2021.
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/
IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY SEED SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY WEBINAR SERIES
Due to Covid-19, the Graduate Program in Seed Technology & Business (STB) at Iowa State University made the decision to cancel its annual Seed Science and Technology on-campus short course. Since they can’t deliver their week of hands-on workshops this year, they have decided to create targeted webinars addressing current topics in seed science and technology led by seed industry leaders and educators.
The Seed Science and Technology Webinar Series will be held from the 25th to the 29th of October 2021. The STB Graduate Program is offering this webinar series completely free and you only need to register once to have access to the entire week of sessions.
For more information and for registration, please visit their official webpage at https://www.seedgrad.iastate.edu/webinar-series-sst-oct21/
CHINA SEED RELATED EVENTS
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:
Become a sponsor for the 2021 APSA Technical Sessions
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)
Asia-Pacific bids farewell to two devoted seedsmen: It is with sadness to relay the passing of two active APSA members and respected seed industry professionals, Kelly Grant Keithly of Kiethly-Williams Seeds in the US, and Hardeep Grewal of Syngenta Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd. in Singapore, who both passed away on September 20.
First Food Systems Summit garners global transformation commitment: September 24,: The first-ever UN Food Systems Summit, held in New York City on September 23, facilitated nearly 300 commitments on behalf of hundreds of thousands of people from around the world as part of coordinated global efforts to to transform the world’s food systems...
ISF launches sustainable seed systems initiatives: On the occasion of the UN Food Systems Summit, the International Seed Federation (ISF) launched four new initiatives to advance seed resilience in order to contribute to the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda...
Meet the WFF Champions of agrifood transformation: The World Food Forum (WFF) has launched its ‘Champions Programme’ as part of an initiative to “mobilize young, influential change-makers to raise global awareness about issues and events related to agri-food systems transformation.” The launch comes ahead of the WFF’s #WorldFoodForum, which will be held 1 to 5 October...
Food price index up 33% year-on-year: Averaging 127.4 points, the FAO Food Price Index (FFPI) in August 2021 was up 31.5 points (32.9%) from the same period last year, and up 3.9 points (3.1 %) from the previous month. The increase was mainly attributed to “strong gains in the sugar, vegetable oils, and cereal sub-indices”.
Shipping slows as bunker fuel price surges: Shipowners are taking losses in order to keep their ships afloat in the face of surging prices for very-low sulfur bunker, which peaked over US$550 per metric tonne, about 50% higher than a year ago...
Details on these on our international seed industry news page
Weather wreaks havoc on spring crops: Despite a warm start to spring, a strong cold front in early September has brought heavy rainfall, wind thunderstorms and hail, wreaking havoc to cropland in the southeast and all along the country’s east coast.
All the latest Australian seed affairs are covered in the Australian Seed Federation’s monthly newsletter. The August 2021 edition covers everything from Covid-19 impacts, webinars and illegal seeds in the mail, to space seeds research and a ASF members alerts . . .
More details on these and other stories in the Australia seed industry news page
USDA opens Cambodian office: The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has opened its first office in Cambodia to support bilateral agricultural trade and collaboration benefitting both countries. . . .
Greenhouse vegetable cultivation success: Vegetable farmers in Tboung Khmum Province have successfully cultivated and harvested leafy green vegetables in greenhouses, avoiding the fate of open field farms that have suffered from heavy rain elsewhere. . .
Mondulkiri project to bolster vegetable seed production: The government of the Republic of Korea has pledged a $3.3 million grant to Cambodia’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries for a project to boost production of high-value vegetable crops in the northeastern province of Mondulkiri. . . .
More on these and more in Cambodia seed industry news
Position Updates from CSA: The China Seed Association has announced a few organizational updates. Ms. Zhang Lu has been appointed as the deputy director of the Department of Members and Exhibition. Filling her position as Deputy Director, Department of Cooperation & Exchange, is Mr. Liu Xin (Max).. . .
Chinese central government stresses seed industry vitalization: Asian Seed has been informed by the China Seed Association about developments in recent months, when China has made significant progress in developing its seed industry . . .
China integrating electronic certification system with ePhyto solution: China has established a national electronic certification system and is in the process of making it compatible with the phytosanitary electronic certification (ePhyto) solution of the International Plant Protection Commission or IPPC. . . .
USDA unofficial translation of China Seed Law amendment draft: Following the release by China authorities of a draft amendment to the Seed Law for public comment on August 20, 2021. The United States Department of Agriculture has compiled a report . . .
See all China seed industry news here
Compensation for pink bollworm damage: Punjabi farmers whose crops suffered from bollwarm attacks, have been promised full compensation. . . .
Cropping volatility as intense September monsoon follows August dry spell: Above average monsoon rains in September, following below average precipitation in July and August have spelt much havoc for Indian farmers. . . .
Seed supply, cropping challenges in MP: Madhya Pradesh farmers have struggled to find ample seed supplies for some crops as a drought situation prevailed in the Nimar region. . . .
Govt forecasts record summer grains output this year: Expectations in India are being set high for a record of more than 150 million tonnes of summer-sown grains to be harvested in the crop year to June 2022. . . .
MSPs announced for six rabi crops: The Indian Cabinet on September 8 announced minimum support price (MSP) approval for six rabi (cool-season sown) crops, which are set to take effect from the marketing season beginning April 1, 2022. . . .
These stories in more on Indian seed industry news page
New Japan emergency measures fo PSTVd: From September 30, 2021, Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) is requiring for National Plant Protection Organizations (NPPO) of four exporting countries to certify that seeds and other live material of certain plants are free from Potato spindle tuber viroid (PSTVd), which “is one of the most serious pests for Japan.” . . .
Imported wheat prices to be raised: Prices of imported mill-destined wheat will be raised, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries has announced. . . .
Robots deployed for crop harvesting: Grape farmers in the Yamagata Prefecture are testing the use of the autonomous XAG R150 farm robot to conduct farm labor tasks in their vineyards. . . .
Read these stories and more in Japan seed industry news
Feed corn tender for December delivery: The Korea Feed Association (KFA) i has purchased about 60,000 tonnes of animal feed corn through the trading house Olam, expected to ship in December. . . .
Stockpiling major food crops: The Korean government has announced plans to increase public reserves of major crops such as rice, wheat and beans. . .
Korea to secure 350k tons of rice reserves: The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (MAFRA) has announced plans to procure 350,000 tonnes of rice in 2021. . . .
Read these stories and more in our Korea seed industry news
Rain induced floods interrupt Auckland lockdown: Hundreds were evacuated from dozens of homes in West Auckland due to flooding on the night passing the 30th and 31st of August. . . .
No need for agricultural services to register as essential: According to the Ministry of Primary Industries (MPI) website, “There is no requirement to register with MPI as an ‘essential business or service’.” . . .
These and more on New Zealand seed industry news
Clarity and flexibility sought in new Seed Rules: Pakistan’s Seed (Business Regulation) Rules 2016 were amended and are now effective, according to the Seed Association of Pakistan (SAP). . . .
Read more on Pakistan seed industry news
Crops drowned in wake of worst flooding in a decade: September 30: Tens of thousands of villagers and farmers have been displaced by severe flooding induced by incessant rains that came with and followed a tropical depression (Dianmu) . . .
These and more on Thailand seed industry news
Better yields of white and yellow maize in Guimaras: Corn production in the island province of Guimaras during the first quarter of 2021 increased by 32.3% year on year. . . .
Ag growth target revised as palay production on track for doubling: Target growth of the agricultural sector has been revised by the Department of Agriculture (DA) to be 2%, half a percentage point lower than the previously set target. . . .
Read more on the Philippines seed industry news
Emergency phyto measures for tomato & pepper seed imports update: Turkey’s General Directorate of Food and Control of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry on September 14 announced an update to new phytosanitary import requirements previously announced for seeds of tomato, pepper and pumpkin. . . .
These and more on Turkey seed industry news page
Viet Nam IP Law Amendment Under Review: September 2021: The Vietnam Seed Trade Association has supplied an update on the process to amend and supplement the Southeast Asian country’s IP Law, with respect to plant variety protection . . . .
Agri-product output affected by pandemic measures: Production and processing of raw materials, including vegetable produce, seafood and other agri-goods have been greatly affected by certain public health measures in recent months. . . .
Viet Nam’s area planting, processing plant Code system grows: At time of press, the Plant Protection Department, under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has issued 3,414 growing area codes for fruits, vegetables and seeds to be exported abroad. . . .
These and more in Vietnam seed industry news
The above are 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.
