November 14, 2105
The Asian and Pacific Seed Association (APSA), in co-operation with the National Seed Association of India (NSAI) will hold the 22nd Asian Seed Congress in Goa, India on November 16-20, 2015.
The Asian Seed Congress (ASC), which is the largest global event organised by a regional seed association, is held annually in an APSA member country. Last year, the Congress was held in Macau, China, and this year, more than a thousand delegates from over 47 countries, 435 companies and 15 seed associations are expected to attend the four-day event in Goa, which will showcase the fast growing Indian seed industry in one of the world’s biggest agricultural markets.
Commenting on the Asian Seed Congress, APSA President Zhiping Wang said, “This year, the Asian Seed Congress 2015 focuses on the Indian seed industry and its growing importance not only to the Asia-Pacific region but also to the world.”
India has one of the fastest growing seed markets in the world; it is expected to post growth rates as high as 12% in 2015 (ISF and APSA estimate) and has a 7% market share for seeds (ISF, 2013). The Indian domestic seed market is ranked fifth and worth an estimated $2 billion. In the global market for vegetable seeds, India has a 7% share.
This is the fourth time APSA has held the ASC in India said Chair of the National Organising Committee (NOC) for ASC 2015 and President of the NSAI (National Seed Association of India) Mr. Prabhakar Rao. He welcomed APSA delegates and noted that, “India is one of the largest seed producing and seed consuming countries in the world. The Indian seed industry is becoming source of quality seeds in a large range of crops for many Asian and African countries.” He added that the Indian seed industry was working closely with policy makers and seed regulating authorities to simplify the existing rules and regulations for “hassle-free international trade."
The top priority of seed companies and their delegates attending the Asian Seed Congress is the trading of seeds, which revolves around trading tables, company booths, private and semi-private meeting rooms. In addition to the trading, the four-day event also features a Pre-Congress Workshop on establishing a seed business in India, Crop and Activity Group meetings on seed technology, biodiversity and IPR issues, hybrid rice, vegetables and ornamentals, trade and marketing, field crops and cover crops, and a meeting of seed associations from the APSA region.
APSA President Wang believes that the seed industry in the Asia-Pacific region will continue to grow rapidly. “The future for the seed industry in the Asia-Pacific region is very bright,” he said.
Profile: The Asia and Pacific Seed Association
APSA was established in 1994, with the aim of working to improve the production and trade of quality seeds for the Asia-Pacific region. It is the largest regional seed organization in the world and has strong links to all the major international seed industry stakeholders.
APSA’s objectives include:
- Creating regional forums to formulate recommendations on seed policy Issues;
- Stimulating technical and economic co-operation among seed enterprises in the region;
- Exchanging information on various aspects of seed production (breeding, production techniques, conditioning, quality control and marketing; and
- Strengthening the relationship between seed industry stakeholders.
APSA produces a bimonthly magazine, Asian Seed, which has been redesigned and relaunched this year, and publishes a range of technical reports and country analyses on its website, www.apsaseed.org.
The first Asian Seed Congress in 1994, with the help of 260 participants from 24 countries, set up APSA as a trade association. Currently, APSA has more than 639 members from more than 50 countries. Most members are public and private seed enterprises.
Topics
Species
