Seed Info No. 26

Abstract

Seed Info aims to stimulate information exchange and communication among seed staff in the Central, West Asia and North Africa (CWANA) region. The purpose is to contribute towards the development of stronger national seed programs which supply quality seed to farmers. In the last two issues of Seed Info we present ed a two-part articl e on seed policy issues as affected by international developments. In the first part we described the conceptual framework on the development of seed policy environment arising from the three main functions of seed and the increasing complexity of globalization of policies whereas in the second part we focused on alternative options for the development and implementation of these seed policies in developing countries. In the VIEWS section of this issue we feature the trends in seed legislation in developing countries focusing on deregulation once again by our regular contributor N.P. Louwaars, from Wageningen UR, The Netherlands. The section on SEED PROGRAMS includes news from Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Iran, Morocco and Tunisia. The summary of activities of FHCRAA presents the progress on rehabilitation of agriculture and seed sector in Afghanistan. From Iran we report on the progress of the seed industry development with the establishment of new independent plant variety registration, seed and plant certification institute (PVRSPCI). Readiness of sample divider, for which verifiable evidence is required under quality assurance, is among the factors affecting the accuracy of sample preparation. In the HOW TO section, your regular contributor, Abdoul Aziz Niane presents the calibration of sample dividers. The RESEARCH section is aimed at capturing information on adapt ed research in seed science and technology that are of relevance and of immediate application for seed program development in the region or elsewhere. Within this context Sam Kugbei et al. presents an article comparing forage seed production at research station and at farm levels in northeast Syria. It is a known fact that the commercial potential of forage seed production is limited in developing countries. In this study, costs and revenue data for vetch, barley and lentil drawn from farmers fields in northeast Syria and from seed multiplication plots at the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) in Aleppo, are used to discuss opportunities for commercializing forage seed production. Seed Info is aimed at encouraging exchange of information and a transparent dialogue among professionals to debate and broaden our understanding of issues that affect the seed industry development.