EUROPEAN-SEED.COM I EUROPEAN SEED I 17 Lukeshni Shetty Duncan Ochieng’ Onduu Riadh Gabsi role in seed production for European companies especially for vegetables. The annual congresses of the European Seed Association and International Seed Federation offer an opportunity in bring- ing South African and European Seed companies together for both trade and seed production,” she adds. “I think there are great opportunities to expand on the current seed production activities. But unfortunately, there are also a number of challenges. The current challenges are mainly with the economic and political climate in South Africa. The austerity measures within govern- ment, and lack of capacity sometimes make it difficult to meet commitments for exports i.e. getting export permits on time. SANSOR as the representative body for the seed industry is working closely with government to find ways to support the seed industry,” she continues. There are a number of particular ele- ments that need to be improved in order for Africa’s seed sector to grow faster. “The legislative framework for seed trade and production must improve for provid- ing intellectual property protection to seed companies as well as providing a conducive environment for introducing plant breeding innovation into Africa. Because the bulk of Africa is fed through small scale farmers, seed companies should keep this in mind when develop- ing and introducing varieties suitable for small scale farming. Investing in co-ops and extension services that are accessi- ble in remote areas ensures that farmers have access to quality seed and farming support and are not made vulnerable to counterfeit seed suppliers.” TANZANIA Bob Shuma, Executive Director of the Tanzania Seed Trade Association (TASTA), shares that in September 2018, the Government of Tanzania, in the person of its Minister for Agriculture Hon. Eng. Dr. Charles Tizeba, launched the ISTA Accreditation at a meeting in Arusha. Shuma is excited about this. “This com- pletes the circle,” he says. “Now Tanzania has UPOV, OECD and ISTA membership and welcomes investors in agriculture and seed production for the local and the export market.” This long journey has taken TASTA and its Executive Director Bob Shuma 19 years. According to Shuma, the most rewarding achievement was the government’s will to work on Public Private Partnerships to this end. “Appreciations go to various people, institutions and devel- opment partners who rendered their sup- port and encouragement and facilitation in many ways.” Shuma says that there are numer- ous foreign countries, many of them from The Netherlands which multiply vegetable breeder seed in Tanzania, and export it to Europe, earning the coun- try a substantial amount of forex while generating skill and employment to the nationals. In return there are other com- panies that import vegetable seeds from The Netherlands and other EU countries. In terms of opportunities for the TASTA member companies in their trade with Europe, Shuma expects that the trade with the EU is going to increase as more investors will come to Tanzania now that the country has ISTA, OECD and UPOV membership. The expectation is that the mainstay will be the multipli- cation of vegetable breeder seed, where many companies already have expanded facilities. Another opportunity is the multipli- cation of breeder seed and other varieties not for local trading. “This as a result of recent TASTA lobbying for the local reg- ulator (TOSCI) to recognize that activity without requiring to “Register” these vari- eties as the law demands” says Shuma. But there are also some challenges to overcome which are preventing the TASTA member companies to do more seed trade with Europe. Shuma: “One major challenge is compliance with the EU Standards. Tanzania has just been going through reviewing its laws and pol- icies, so there has been a certain ‘Fear of the unknown’ from some investors. But the will of the government to remove this is evident as we have all worked together to ensure a ‘facilitating environment’” “Yes, it’s true” says Shuma, “Africa is the next growth continent and has all those potentials and we have had some successes too, but in my opinion, which I stand to be corrected, we need to work at least on the following, considering we have many challenges: •  Close collaboration between the public and private sector is important •  Review of policies to ensure c o n d u c i v e a n d f a c i l i t a t i n g environment. • Appropriate seed systems in place. •  Harmonized local and regional agreements. •  Human resource - skills development, experienced contract farmers/ knowledgeable farmers. •  Disease free areas for seed production •  Capacity building for seed trade associations and other Civil Society Organizations” KENYA The Seed Trade Association of Kenya (STAK) was formed in December 1982 under the Societies Act Cap 108 of the laws of Kenya, to represent interests of the seed sector and to promote the devel- opment of formal seed trade. Duncan Ochieng’ Onduu, Executive Officer of STAK mentions the association operated on a voluntary basis until July 1999 when an independent Secretariat was set up to co-ordinate its activities in serving the interests of members. “STAK is an organization of seed companies which are registered by the Kenya Plant Health