The All-Ukrainian Conference "New Rules of the Seed Market: The Year of Experience on the Way to the International Practices" took place in Kyiv on August 3, 2017. It was the first event of its kind, being initiated by the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine, the National Academy of Agrarian Sciences of Ukraine, Seed Association of Ukraine (SAU) and other participants of the seed market in order to review the innovations in the Ukrainian seed market, the practice of implementation of new rules and the needs for their improvement. Seed Association of Ukraine expresses its gratitude to the organizers and all participants who are working towards a common goal – to make the Ukrainian seed market better!
The conference provided a place for fruitful networking between the representatives of government authorities and specialized state enterprises, scientific institutions of NAAS, business associations and direct producers and breeders of seed and planting materials. At this event the Seed Association of Ukraine was represented by more than two dozen of the representatives from member-companies. Viacheslav Gavryliachyk (Syngenta Ukraine LLC), the Chairperson of the Board of the Association, Siuzana Hryhorenko, Executive Director, and Olga Khranovska (Limagrain LLC), the Head of the SAU Committee on the issues of protection of plant variety rights, presented their reports. Particularly, they called attention was to the practical implementation of legislative changes in the field of plant variety rights protection, as well as in the field of seed and seedlings production. As of today, a working model of certification has been created in Ukraine; it is guaranteed that the grown seed can receive the appropriate status, which allows further dissemination of this valuable commercial product in the Ukrainian market and its movement to external markets.
Viacheslav Gavryliachyk highlighted the actual benefits of the updated legislation and its practical implementation in the field of certification, available since February 2017. He noted that all this was made possible by the joint and consistent work of all parties of the process, who were involved in the development, adoption and implementation of the necessary regulations. V. Gavryliachyk also mentioned the necessity to complete as soon as possible the recognition of the equivalence of the Ukrainian seed system to the requirements of the EU and to finalize the procedure for the accession of the state to the OECD seed certification schemes for oil crops. Those are the key points in the main area of activities of the SAU.
Regarding the regulation of the system of relations in terms of protection of plant variety rights as objects of intellectual property, Siuzana Hryhorenko in her speech drew attention to the fact that there are a number of issues, mainly procedural, which are needed to be resolved as soon as possible. S.Hryhorenko underlined the necessity for joint development of the practice of applying new norms in order that the adopted regulation would be effective, adaptive, with all operations being carried out in due time.
The conference agenda also included the review of issues of implementation of examination of new varieties, their practical registration, ensuring certification, payment of charges and execution of control measures in the field of seed and seedlings production. As a result of the event, the working group on seed farming will address all the issues raised in order to adopt the necessary decisions to improve the seed market of Ukraine. The second extended all-Ukrainian conference on seed breeding is due to take place next year.
