Belarus

Name of Client: Ministry of Agriculture and the Academy of Agriculture, Minskterm mission to share experience in how to strengthen all essential components in an integrated seed industry

Period: May 2009 

Value of project (in millions US$): 0.01 M

Key Experts:

Rutger Persson, International Seed Expert, Svalof Consulting

Larisa Gustavsson, Researcher Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF PROJECT:

The objective of the mission was to share the Swedish experience in “seed industry development” with the Ministry of Agriculture and establish a closer professional links between the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU/LTJ), Svalof Consulting and Belarus counterparts in strengthening their seed sector, training plant breeders and senior professional staff from the Belarus seed industry at SLU in Alnarp , Sweden. The Swedish model how to strengthen all the links in the seed chain and create favourable conditions for the private sector to prosper was discussed with regards to:

• Strengthening the legal/regulatory framework for varieties and seeds and the technical procedures which support that framework
• Strengthening the capacity of breeding institutions to manage and supply early generation seed of their varieties, as a key support to the formal seed sector
• Strengthening the capacity of emerging seed companies to operate efficiently on the domestic as well as export market, through a locally based training programme for their staff
• Strengthening the whole seed and value chain, in environmental perspective