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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.
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).
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| The
ANSOR assembly in Kabul, 19 October 2008 |
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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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