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Seed legislation










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    Book (stand-alone)
    Guideline
    Guidance on weed issues and assessment of noxious weeds in a context of harmonized legislation for production of certified seed 2013
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    Food security and nutrition can only be assured if it is based on sustainable production practices and crop seeds of good quality and purity. Good quality seeds are needed on farm as a major asset to boost crop yields. However, availability of good quality seeds largely depends on investment by the private sector, which depends on availability of a significant market to ensure profit. But, enforcement of different national seed legislations, which is the case in many countries, for example in Africa, does not provide a seed market large enough to attract investment from the private sector. In this context, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) encourages and supports regional harmonization of rules governing quality control, certification and marketing of crop seeds. While regional harmonization enlarges the seed market and makes it attractive for investment by the private sector, care must be taken to upgrade the seed standards b y insertion of the list of dangerous seed borne pests, pathogens and weeds, to anticipate on their possible spread over entire regions. With regard to weeds, contamination of crop seeds by weed propagules is an important issue in several countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Contamination of crop seeds by weed propagules contributes to spreading of weeds to places where they were not encountered before, which increases weed management cost incurred by the farmer, may take land out of production and may become an impediment to sustainable crop production intensification.
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    Booklet
    Corporate general interest
    Status of seed legislation and policies in the Asia-Pacific region 2020
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    The vast majority of the world’s food crops are annuals that are grown from seed sown at the start of each production season. The quality of that seed is a key determinant of production. Farmers cannot easily observe the quality or identity of seed at the point of sale, which creates a risk on the part of the farmer. With the development of the commercial seed trade and the increasing number of varieties during the 20th century it became important to reduce this risk. This led to the formulation of laws and regulations intended to protect farmers and increase agricultural productivity through the adoption of modern varieties. The commercial seed industry has grown rapidly in Asia over recent years and these laws should be reviewed to ensure that they reflect recent developments in both technology and trade. In practice, the progress of this updating varies widely across the region; some countries have completed, some are working on it now, while others have not yet started. The purpose of this study is to review the current status of seed legislation in countries of the Asia-Pacific region, to share experiences and to make recommendations for future development of the seed sector in a way that serves the best interests of farmers and society as a whole.
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