John Mukuka, PhD COMSHIP: ENHANCING CROSS BOARDER TRADE AFSTA CONGRESS, 2016

. THE PROBLEM

. GLOBAL SEED TRADE VALUES COUNTRY / REGIONVALUE (USD) USA12 billion China9 billion France3.8 billion Kenya60 million Zimbabwe35 million Malawi30 million Zambia25 million Uganda10 million COMESA1.3 billion Global46 billion

Strategic Objectives SO 3.0: Monitor and improvement of the COMESA Seed System SO 4.0 COMESA Seed Capacity Building and Small-holder Support Programme SO2.0: Awareness creation at all levels SO1.0: Prepare for, and support of Phased domestication VISION IMPLEMENT COMESA SEED TRADE HARMONIATION REGULATIONS LEADING TO INCREASED SEED PRODUCTION, RELIABILITY, TRADE AND COMPETITIVENESS OF THE SEED INDUSTRY IN THE COMESA REGION STRATEGIC GOALS OF COMSHIP

COMSHIP COUNTRY CATEGORY STRATEGY Operational / Existing Seed laws Draft Seed laws No Seed Laws or regulations Egypt Ethiopia Kenya Madagascar Malawi Swaziland Sudan Uganda Zambia Zimbabwe Burundi DR Congo Mauritius Rwanda Seychelles Comoros Djibouti Eritrea South Sudan

ALIGNMENT BEING IMPLEMENTED

STATUS ALIGNMENT OF NATIONAL SEED LAWS MALAWI:Draft Seed Regulations, 2016 Draft Plant Quarantine Regulations within Plant Protection Act (Cap 64:01) ZAMBIA: Plant Variety and Seeds Regulations and Statutory Instrument (SI) on Plant Pest and Diseases with Justice Ministry on Legal Drafting and Law Revision ZIMBABWE: Seeds (Certification Scheme) Notice and Plant Pests and Diseases (COMESA) Regulations, 2015 with Attorney Generals’ office awaiting discussion with Minister of Agriculture

PREPARE FOR, AND SUPPORT FOR PHASED DOMESTICATION DR Congo already zero drafts aligned seed regulations to be launched 7 th to 11 th December, 2015, Ethiopia, Djibouti and South Sudan 1 st Quarter of 2016 For Djibouti and South Sudan, a detailed study of the seed systems have been conducted and roadmap / consultative to formalizing seed trade in the two countries Still need to undertake same in Egypt, Sudan, Swaziland and Madagascar with operational seed laws in place as well as Eritrea, Comoros, Seychelles, Mauritius

. AWARENESS CREATION Awareness creation materials in place (Over 10,000) and 3,000 COMSHIP brochures and folders have been printed and are being distributed.

COMMITTEES OPERATIONAL IN COMSHIP Seed Advisory Committee COMESA Seed Committee Seed Technical Working Group

. COMESA VARIETY CATALOGUE IN PLACE NOW

FILING AN APPLICATION To file an application for the registration of a variety in the COMESA Variety Catalogue, the applicant has to be located in one of the COMESA countries or will have to be represented by an agent located in one of the COMESA countries. The Variety should have being released in two COMESA Member States before application for registration in the Regional COMESA Variety Catalogue.

13 FILING AN APPLICATION Applications for varieties already released in one COMESA country before establishment of the Regional COMESA Variety Catalogue will be accepted provided that they will be released in a second country after one season of VCU testing only There is a script that puts on hold the listing of a variety in the catalogue for 15 days. This window gives time for objections from two NSA.

14 FILING AN APPLICATION (CONTI..) The person in charge of variety registration on behalf of a company will first have to create an account on-line. This account will be validated after the reception by the COMESA Seed Office of a letter bearing the letterhead of your company, signed by a legal representative, and attesting that the person is authorized to apply for COMESA varieties registration.

15 FILING AN APPLICATION (CONTI..) After having filed the registration form, the applicant will have to pay the registration fees, the 1st year and annual fees to the COMESA Seed Office The application will only be processed by CSO after reception of the due payment.

16 Users will be able to search for different varieties using species name and variety name The search results will show:- Variety name Variety synonym Release year Species common name Botanical name Breeder Origin of the variety Type of the variety Duration to maturity Average yield 16 SEARCH RESULTS WHEN OPERATIONAL

17 Varieties/different species registered per year Facts and figures will show –Species –Number of varieties –Number of breeders / Seed companies –Amount of seed traded (MT) 17 STATISTICS

. STATUS VARIETY CATALOGUE INITIAL SUPPORT FROM AGRA-SSTP AND NOW DFID OF HAVING CATALOGUE ON CLOUD ENVIRONMENT MONSANTO FINALISING ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEDURES SEED-CO, ZAMSEED, PIONEER, SYNGENTA CONTACTED SECRETARIAT TO RELEASE VARIETIES SEED COMPANIES HAVE NOW OPPORTUNITY TO EXPLOIT SEED MARKET OF 80 MILLION SMALL-HOLDER FARMERS

MOVEMENT OF COMESA SEED ACROSS THE BORDERS Pre-basic/Violet band on white Basic/White Certified 1 st /Blue Certified 2 nd / Red

. CONCLUSIONS Significant activities implemented on the COMSHIP, the pace needs to increase to meet growing pop. There is need to popularize the COMESA Variety Catalogue through sensitization workshops Training to the NSAs on the operations of the COMESA Variety Catalogue by ACTESA COMESA would like to test the system as soon as possible with the few seed companies registering their varieties on its catalogue

THANK YOU