RE-ALLIGNMENT ZAMBIAN SEED LEGISLATION –PROGRESS REPORT Zambia National Task Team

Task team comprise two groups Seed Certification and Quality Assurance/Variety Testing and Release – Team of four experts assembled Three Seeds Experts Legal expert Quarantine and Phytosanitary services – Team of Five experts Four PQPS experts and one legal expert

Allignment Approach: Team reviewed current legislation Identified all relevant of documents to alignment Following documents were identified and collate: – Plant Variety and Seeds Act + SI – Plant pests and Disease Act + SI – SADC technical agreements – Cotton Act – Tobacco Act – COMESA protocols on Seeds – National Seed policy

– International Standard s for Phytosanitary Measures (ISPMs) – National Agriculture policy (revised draft) – Trade policy from Ministry of Commerce – Plant Breeder’s Rights and regulations – Baseline of the Seed Industry in Zambia

Variety, Testing and release, SC& QA (Substantial Issues/Gaps identified) The current principal Act lacks specific provisions to regulate varieties (Using the Sis) The Zambian standards have generalised minimum number of inspections for inspections for all crops while the SADC standards specifies minimum number of field inspections for each crop There is a difference in the number of seed classes between Zambia and SADC. Zambia has six classes while SADC has five classes

Class BField standards Isolation (m) Max no of offtypes 1000plants) Min no of inspections SZMS S Gnut (0.1) 3- P/pea S/bean in 10m 3- Cotton H (0.2) 3- Cotton OP (0.2) 3- Laboratory standards Minimum germination (%) Minimum % pure seed (by weight) Moisture % SZMS S None99.0 No std 13.0 No std Some seed standards differ or are missing in the Zambian standards when compared with the SADC standards

The color codes for seed class C1 and C2 labels differ between Zambian standards and SADC There is a difference in the information to be put on the label between the current Zambian seed label and the SADC label The application for terminology used to describe a seed certificate differs between Zambian regulations and the SADC agreement

Progress (Variety Testing and Release, SC &QA) – Decided to review both principle legislation and regulations – Cleaner route to amend entire legislation – Have so far drafted the provisions for variety testing and release which were missing in the principle legislation – Drafted amendments in the principle legislation where necessary – Currently consulting side by side with drafting – Drafting SI s as well

PQPS-Substantial Issues/Gaps identified SADC Pest List and Zambian pest list is limiting Documentation Used (SADC certificates have a SADC logo while National legislation use national logo) Terminologies Used (National legislation has missing terminologies as compared to SADC

Progress – Instead of adopting the actual SADC pest list, the pest risk analysis process has been included in the draft SI – Developed a surveillance SI which will support Pest Risk analysis – Domesticated the IPPC documentation which is more encompassing (covers SADC agreement requirements) – Adopted definitions as outlined in the ISPM5 to take care of national and international requirements

Conclusion ZERO drafts are ready (Phytosanitary regulations, Plant variety and Seeds Act, Seed regulations) Way forward-in work plan  team met to identify relevant documents and discuss the work plan.  Collecting relevant documentation  Review of Act to identify inconsistencies with SADC agreements  Consult with key stakeholders (at their offices) – Was to start this week  Review and draft amendments (Principal Act) - started

 Review and draft amendments (Regulations)  Circulate draft internally to senior MAL officers of departments concerned to gather views and incorporate  Hold a stakeholder meeting with line ministries and policy makers (FANRPAN NODE) – Get comments and advocacy role  Incorporate comments from line ministries policy makers  Hold a national stakeholder workshop to present the amendments and get stakeholders views/advocacy

 Incorporate stakeholders views into the draft  Present the draft to Directors SCC/ZARI for onward transmission to Ministry of Justice through the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock