Building Capacity of Federal Seed Certification and Registration Department to Facilitate Seed  and Plant Supply Industry Regulation - TCP/PAK/3601

Building Capacity of Federal Seed Certification and Registration Department to Facilitate Seed and Plant Supply Industry Regulation - TCP/PAK/3601

Editor

FAO ;

Descripción

Over the years, Pakistan’s seed sector has grownsignificantly. The seed system was initially dominatedby the public sector in activities ranging from cropvariety development, release/registration, seedmultiplication/production, processing and marketing,to seed certification and quality control. Currently,the private sector comprises over 700 national and fivemultinational seed companies; thus, it is a major player.The public sector at the federal level is mandated toregulate the seed sector across the country; while at theprovincial level public sector seed corporations have beenassigned to produce and distribute certified seed of majorcrops to the farming community. However, public-sectorseed supplies are currently on the decline. The seedsector’s legislative environment has been improved to alarge extent by the incorporation of 2015 amendments inthe Seed Act 1976, and the legislation of the PlantBreeders’ Rights Act, 2016. In general, the level of servicedelivery by both the public and private sectors is not on apar with international good practices, hence the seedindustry has not yet harnessed the available potential. In other words, Pakistan’s seed industry, despite itslarge size and growth, has not evolved to the level ofsophistication required to compete with its regionalcounterparts. Against this background, the project aimedto strengthen the capacities of the Federal SeedCertification and Registration Department (FSC&RD), aswell as other public and private sector institutions/entities, to enable them to provide higher quality servicesto the seed and plant supply industry in Pakistan; and toimprove the systematic seed supply in the country.