Abrates promotes 1st Technical Responsibility Training in Seed Production

The Brazilian Association of Seed Technology (Abrates) and the Technical Committee for Seed Analysis (CTAS) promote the 1st Training on Technical Responsibility in Seed Production, aiming to disseminate updated information on the processes that ensure the quality of seeds to professionals who operate in the seed market. The event will be in person between the 20th and 22nd of September 2023, at the Nobile Hotel, in Uberlândia (MG).

"This is the Committee's first concrete action since its recent reactivation. Our idea is to train field professionals first. We will emphasize the importance of seed quality, as this issue is often focused only on laboratories, with quality of seeds is made 'in the field'. We want to make field technicians aware of the importance of seed quality", explains Dr. Valquíria de Fátima Ferreira Mavaieie, coordinator of the Technical Seed Analysis Committee (CTAS) and owner and Technical Responsible from the Vigor Agroanalytics Laboratory, based in Campo Belo (MG)

According to the deputy coordinator of CTAS, Dr. Débora Kelli Rocha, Technical Manager at LAS Agromen, "the aim of this training is to train the technicians responsible for the seed production process so that we can deliver a high quality product to farmers".

According to the organizers, the speakers will address the importance of seed quality, from the necessary care in regulating machines and equipment during harvesting, processing, drying, storage so that the seed does not suffer damage, as well as the new requirements of legislation Brazilian seed. "But we were also concerned about adding content about people management to the programming because the Technical Managers lead people who need to have these same notions and care for seeds", adds Débora.

Agenda

The seed specialist, Dr. Maria de Fátima Zorato, will open the event, on September 20th, with the lecture “Seed Quality and Decision Making”. Next, the federal tax auditor of the Ministry of Agriculture (MAPA), José Maurício Pereira, will address the legal responsibilities of RT with MAPA and registration of seed production fields.

On the second day, Dr. Jonas F. Pinto, from Fundação Pró-Sementes (FPS), will share knowledge on how inspections of seed production fields should be carried out and the issuing of inspection reports. He will also talk about seed processing and seed storage care to ensure seed quality. Next, Dr. Cinthia V. Golfe Andriazzi, from the company Satus Ager, the largest seed production services company in the Southern Hemisphere, will address the role of RT in managing people and processes. The president of Abrates and researcher at Embrapa Soja, Dr. Fernando A. Henning, will conclude the second day of training, talking about seed treatment.

The guest to close the event, on the 22nd, is the executive director of the Association of Seed Producers of the State of Minas Gerais (APSEMG), Maria Selma Carvalho. It will bring information about seed certification, the challenges in the production process and the laboratory as an ally.

Registrations

The training provides certificates to participants and lasts 20 hours. Places are limited and registrations must be made here. Abrates members receive a 20% discount on registration. The course is aimed at technical managers, rural producers and Agronomy students.

The Seed Analysis Technical Committee has already started holding monthly online meetings with important topics in the sector. In the first meeting of the Committee, 55 professionals from different laboratories in Brazil participated. According to the Committee coordinator, Abrates members can join the Committee to participate free of charge in meetings and stay up to date in the area.