1. Private Sector Variety development/Distribution requirements
Group 1

2. Question 1: What are the Key drivers for private seed companies/organization to develop or license new products
1. Shelf life and Milling quality
2. Profitability and Market share
3. Market demand/Growing demand/Market niche
4. Diversification - need for diverse portfolio of crops/products to leverage on risks – e.g Market share fluctuations, policy shift (In Kenya its almost a mandatory required to fortify grain)
5. Policy shift/requirement – national nutrition strategy, food security strategy

3. Question 2: How should market research, foresight and product profiles be used to identify promising varieties?
Start with market research – so that you know what market wants
Develop product profiles – looking at the superior traits if the existing ones are not compelling then create a new ones in collaboration with farmers or farmers groups.
General questions – emerged from the discussion
1. Who should be responsible for product market profile?
- it is the seed company but working together with the breeder closely to understand how they arrived at the varieties and who aspects did he focus on? – yield? Maturity? Which traits are more winning than the rest? In many cases, breeders focus on high yield and disease free/particular diseases resistance. By the time the breeder is ready with the variety that focus (disease resistance and yield is not relevant).
2. Can breeders balance market call as well as breeding call? Yes, they cant fully concentrate on market call but keep a pool of all germplasm relevant scientifically and will be rel

4. Question 4: The value of a new variety how can it be determined?
1. Economic values – Based on demand and projected costs. Note: The demand exists but I don’t have the product (I look at production levels to et idea of how much I can make and the consider how long the product can be used in the market – the product life cycle).
2. The social value – Mainly answering the interest of society or community. Sometimes communities demands are subjective based on culture, cooking time, gender cross –cutting issues. These social aspects need to put tangible value!
3. Environmental consideration – reducing the use of pesticides – so a variety that is more resilient

5. Question 5: How can commercial business cases intersect or contribute
Notes:
There are overlapping role of organizations/investors – but, how can they contribute to the overall goal of meeting the farmers’ demand?
1. Through legislation and policy framework – Govt requirement for bio fortification in Kenya for flour .