24 I EUROPEAN SEED I EUROPEAN-SEED.COM L ack of quality and improved seed in the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) countries has contributed significantly to food insecurity and poverty. The availability of quality seed in this region in terms of variety, accessibility, and volume currently stands at a meagre 20%. This is caused by a lack of harmonized seed policy environment in the region, exhibited by diverse and complex seed trade laws, and regulations for seed production, certification, variety release and phytosanitary/ quarantine measures for seed import and export cross the borders. Total seed being traded in the COMESA-EAC-SADC Member States averages USD1.4 billion, equivalent to less than 2% of global seed trade. However, with a harmonized seed trade system, growth in the seed sector could reach USD5 billion in the next five years. In view of the above, the COMESA Seed Programme ini- tiative was created in response to the COMESA Ministers of Agriculture directive which took place in Seychelles, 2008, to have regionally harmonized seed trade regulations. In the period between 2010 and 2014, COMESA, through its Specialised Agency of the Alliance for Commodity Trade in Eastern and Southern Africa (ACTESA), managed to have the COMESA Seed Trade Harmonization Regulations announced in May 2014, and also to put in place a strategic plan, the COMESA Seed Harmonization Implementation Plan (COMSHIP). The overall goal of COMSHIP is to implement COMESA Seed Trade Harmonization Regulations leading to increased seed production, reliability, trade and competitiveness of the seed industry in the COMESA region. Currently, the COMESA region is accessing less than half a million metric tonnes of quality seed, against the requirement of about two million tonnes. IMPLEMENTATION STATUS Currently, the COMESA Seed Harmonization Implementation Plan has been officially launched in 18 COMESA Member States, namely Burundi, Comoros, Djibouti, DR Congo, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Rwanda, Seychelles, Sudan, Swaziland, Uganda Zambia, Zimbabwe and only remaining with Libya, Tunisia and Somalia. Seven COMESA Member States (Burundi, Malawi, Rwanda, Kenya, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe) have completely aligned their national seed laws to the COMESA Seed System. Out of these seven COMESA Member States, three are member of SADC and four are members of EAC The COMESA Seed Training Programme was developed and implemented, with 270 delegates (23% female) so far trained from 13 COMESA Member States. These are Burundi, Djibouti, D. R Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Rwanda, Swaziland, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe, of which 6 are members of SADC and seven are members of EAC In addition, the COMESA Variety Catalogue in available on-line https://varietycatalogue.comesa.int/web/login, with 43 varieties regionally released. The programme is also in the pro- cess of developing COMESA Seed Labels and Certificates to be utilized by seed companies for large seed assignment crossing the borders and in-country seed trade in smaller packages. COMSHIP CHALLENGES Only nine COMESA Member States are implementing COMSHIP through the support of USAID and DFID. This brought about inertia in non-supported COMESA Member States. In addition, there is lack of awareness of the COMESA Seed System by the private seed sector due to inadequate information about the COMSHIP. LESSONS LEARNT Among the lessons learnt was that mobilization of COMSHIP resources from other development partners like USAID and COMSHIP, THE COMESA SEED HARMONISATION IMPLEMENTATION PLAN. BY: COMESA Enhancing Quality Seed Availability COMESA Secretary General, Ms. Chileshe Mpundu Kapwepwe