Rama Krishna Sangem
ISTA (International Seed Testing Association), that seeks to ensure food security to the world through quality seeds, held its executive committee meeting in Buenos Aires, Argentina, for about a week, from February 16 to 25. ISTA’s EC meeting was chaired by its president Dr K Keshavulu, laid out plans for standardization of seeds at the global level so that there will be better prospects of food security through agriculture sector.
Dr Keshavulu is not just the first ever Indian to be president of ISTA, but also the first one from the South Asia to hold the post. The meeting at Buenos Aires has become the forum to discuss and brainstorm over several pressing issues of the agriculture secure and food security in general and seed quality in specific. Many ministers of agriculture, officials of governments and representatives of seed industry from South America took part in the sessions.
Established in 1924 this Switzerland headquartered 100 year old ISTA has as its members 83 countries/distinct economies with around 120 plus laboratories from across the globe for accreditation and certification of seeds at global standards. This standardization of quality seeds at international level will not help the countries improve their farm output, but also enhance their productivity, that can solve the problem of food security of the world.
Many agreements to promote seed testing standards
This ISTA executive committee meeting of Buenos Aires led to many agreements to put in place frameworks for common seed quality standards at the global level. Lack of these standards currently is a factor for bottlenecks in the seed exports and imports at the global level. This affects mostly the developing countries that are striving to boost agricultural produce and productivity.
For example, according to BNN, a South American media, this standardization of seed testing will help Argentina’s seed market grow from the current level of 8.24 billion US dollars to 11.04 billion US dollars by 2030. Brazil, which too is keen on boosting its farm exports to the world is expected to benefit from the global standards framework of seeds of its key crops.
Needless to say, India which is ambitiously pushing its export targets over the years form all sectors, including that the agriculture too this kind of expansion of market for its seeds. Some experts say, India can become the global supplier of seeds, thus providing food security to the humanity. ISTA EC meeting also deliberated upon some emerging technologies for better seed preservation and testing for the countries.
