January 2009
Source: SEED INFO, Official Newsletter of the WANA Seed Network - No. 36, January 2009
Afghanistan will soon formally register its new National Seed Association, which will become the main umbrella organization in the seed industry for advocacy and representation both at national and international levels. In preparation for this landmark registration, up to 100 stakeholders from across Afghanistan gathered at the National Seed Secretariat in Badam Bagh, Kabul for the first general assembly meeting of the Afghanistan National Seed Organization (ANSOR). This is an outcome of the unanimous agreement of stakeholders' representing the public, private and NGOs following sub-national consultations, which culminated in a wrap-up workshop in Kabul on 12 May 2008.
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| The ANSOR assembly in Kabul, 19 October 2008 |
The meeting was organized under the aegis of the Variety and Seed Industry Development project, which is being implemented by Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock (MAIL) with funding from the European Union (EU).The meeting was devoted to a thorough review of the articles of association until unanimous agreement was reached on all its elements. The meeting also deliberated and made unanimous agreement on the membership structure, fees and the registration of the articles of association. The General Assembly then elected a nine member board of directors who shall manage and supervise all activities of the association and enforce the articles of association. The new Board comprises representatives of the major stakeholders including the private sector, government seed institutions and an NGO seed producer. The Board elected its President and other executive members during its first meeting.
With its 30 ordinary and 2 associate members, ANSOR will work closely with the National Seed Committee in ensuring effective enforcement of the national seed policy and encourage a quick enactment of the seed law by the Afghanistan parliament. The secretariat of Afghanistan National Seed Organization is located within National Seed Secretariat in Badam Bagh, Kabul, Afghanistan (Tel: +93-700601824; E-mail: contact@afghanseed.org)
The annual seed review meeting for planning seed production in 2008/09 followed the general assembly of ANSOR. About 43 private and public seed enterprises, NGOs and agricultural research from all over Afghanistan met to finalize production planning for the 2008/09 cropping season. The meeting also gave the producers an opportunity to select the wheat varieties and estimate the quantities of foundation seed needed, and the quantities of certified seeds they would like to produce and sell next year. This plan will serve as a reference for seed producers, quality control officers and marketing agents. With a total of 532 t foundation seed of 18 improved varieties for irrigated and rainfed conditions available, it is expected that up to 16,000 t of certified wheat seed will be made available for sale to Afghan farmers in 2009. This is in comparison with the project's target output of 25,000 t certified wheat seed per year by 2011.
The meeting was held in a recently inaugurated National Seed Secretariat in Badam Bagh, Kabul. The National Seed Secretariat is situated in close proximity to the Central Seed Testing Laboratory in Kabul and accommodates the apex institutions for coordinating seed industry functions in Afghanistan, comprising the National Seed Board and its affiliated bodies namely the Variety Release Committee, the Seed and Plant Health Inspectorate, the Seed Certification Agency, and the Afghanistan National Seed Organization. The National Seed Board will be proclaimed upon ratification of the Seed Law, which is currently in parliament for consideration. The Seed Board will function as the highest body in the seed sector with overall oversight for the management of the national seed program and having autonomy and freedom to carry out its functions.
by Mohammad Jawad and Sam Kugbei, Variety and Seed Development Project, FAO, Kabul, Afghanistan; E-mail: samuel.kugbei@fao.org
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