FAO conducted a training course on general seed production and quality control

The training course was organized in the framework of "Integrated Natural Resources Management in Drought-prone, and Salt-affected Agricultural Production Systems in Central Asia and Turkey" (CACILM-2) project funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF).

Participants from key governmental departments, including the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Uzbekistan, the Seed Development Centre, the State Unitary Enterprise for Control of Agricultural Crops Seed Production of State Inspectorate for Agro-industrial Complex, the State Variety Testing Committee as well as other stakeholders attended the training.

As a key factor in ensuring food security, seed sector includes the production, harvesting, processing, storage, sale, and transportation of seeds of agricultural and forest plants, as well as variety maintenance and seed control. The production of new and commercially available varieties of seeds while maintaining their properties, genetic purity and resistance to pests is very important for obtaining a high yield and improving the quality of agricultural products.

“Capacity building of human resources, increasing their knowledge and skills will enable to foster better seed production and productivity. We would like to share our experience with private sector representatives, which is currently actively involved in the seed industry. During the workshop we tried to bridge the gaps in business planning, enterprise management and seed marketing”, — national project manager Mukhammadjon Kosimov states.

The training also provided an overview of the current national legislation and international regulations governing the seed industry as well as information on seed projects implemented by FAO.