b'tries, but most of these problems wereemployees and/or hours of operations.American countries. The United States solved by chatting with NPPOs to solveColombia notes that there have beenhas seen instances of growers unable to them. Peru has seen that NPPOs did worka few delays on delivering results aftersell their produce to their typical hotel, at 50% of its usual capacity, with sometaking samples for seed quality analysis.restaurant or school customers who have delays at ports. Canada is also expect- Fortunately, all associations are in dia- to plow the crop back into the field. The ing some unexpected delays, even withlogue with their regulatory bodies to findU.S. Department of Agriculture is working international borders open to seed tradequick solutions to these issues.on plans to purchase and distribute up tounfortunately, theres been some con- $3 billion of agriculture products to those fusion about interprovincial movementSW: Any positive developmentsin need. restrictions.when it comes to seed certification, Fortunately for our industry, countriesgreen lanes, essential services, etc.? SW: Are you aware of any are recognizing seed as essential andDR: Agriculture has been declared ascontingency plans for the future priority by governments, which allowsan essential service in most of the coun- among your members? activities to continue.tries of the SAA region. Therefore, seedsDR: Yes, most region countries are are a component of that. Most of theworking on plans for the future. Mexico, SW: Are you still able to get seed toeconomies in the Americas are agriculturefor example, says the Mexican Seed your current customer base, or havebased, or at the minimum, agriculture is aAssociation has invited its members you been having difficulties withkey component of it. Most countries areto prepare for a possible escalation of transportation? learning now how to adapt and be flexiblethe pandemic, and begin identifying DR: This is an area where regions areon allowing R&D operations to continueactivities that are essential for production. experiencing some challenges. While seedas well. Other countries, such as Mexico,Colombia, through Acosemillas, AgroBio is continuing to move to customers, manyArgentina and Chile, are working to accel- and the Sociedad de Agricultores de regions are experiencing some logisticalerate the implementation of ePhyto certi- Colombia, are having continuous follow-challenges. Some problems to note: fication and electronic communication.ups and virtual meetings to participate in Transportation availability and afford- Dialogues between the seed industrythe discussions on emergency measures able cargo space has been a challengeand their governments have increased.to be taken by the national government in areas such as the United States andThis is goodcommunication will help(including protocols, exceptions, lines of Canada. While transportation of cargo isour industry continue to be recognized ascredit and support for farmers). considered an essential service in bothessential. Other regions note that there are not areas, both have experienced logisticalformal plans in placeBrazil mentions challenges. Canada notes that courierSW: Is increased labor/staffin addition to remote working, they are mailing is slow, as seed and agricultureabsenteeism impacting yourmonitoring any difficulties that might pop doesnt seem to be a priority. members? up to their partners.Mexico notes that transportation hasDR: Again, unfortunately labor absentee-become difficult due to roadblocks byism is varying from country to country.SW: Do you have any other major civilians who seek to stop the spread ofMany countries notes that some seedconcerns currently about the state of COVID-19however, after explainingcompanies have been sent to workthe seed industry during COVID-19?that seed is being transported for farm- from home, but for those companiesDR: There have been some delays in ers, roadblocks are released for pas- that cannot do that, the Governmentsregulatory processes, and workforce sage. Along those lines, Brazil mentionsimplemented new structures and proto- availability and movement is going to be difficulty in transporting rural workers tocols, such as the delivery of health kits,a concern. Canada notes that the long-areas where seed production takes place. healthy distancing, health promotion,term impact on delayed R&D is concern-Other regions, such as Chile, note thatoutreach and awareness campaigns,ing. In certain countries, such as Mexico, thanks to COVID-19, the transportation/ etc. Meanwhile, Colombia notes that thisroad closures continue to be a concern movement of seed process has actuallyunfortunately has and will continue to locals trying to avoid the spread of sped up.affect their industry, as many actions inthe virus causes problems occasionally! the field are done in personunfortu- Colombia notes theres a delay of certifi-SW: Are there any issues when itnately, due to COVID-19, this have beencation process, which potentially can be comes to seed certification, seeddifficult to carry out.concerning, and Brazil and Argentina are testing, issues of labels/tags?Other member regions, such as Brazil,concerned about whether this crisis can DR: Most members arent seeing issues ofUruguay and Chile note that absenteeismaffect international seed transit.big concernjust minor inconvenienceshasnt been seen as the industry contin- Then, logistics might prove to be a that are solved quickly. For example, theues to adapt to the current scenario.challengehow do we do things now? United States conducted a survey of theirHow can we move forward? These are all state regulatory and commercial labs toSW: Have you heard of farmers inquestions were trying to answer. learn their status, and most have reportedyour country trashing excess crops? SAA will continue to monitor the cur-that their output has slowed due to aDR: This problem was seen more sorent COVID-19 situation and its effects on reduction of staff, limiting space betweenin North America, instead of in Latinits members.SW34/ SEEDWORLD.COMJUNE 2020'