Agricultural sector discusses modernization of rules for seed production

Representatives of the agricultural sector began discussing this Tuesday (25) proposals to modernize the rules related to the production of seeds and seedlings in Brazil. The meeting was organized by the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply and took place at the organization's headquarters, in Brasília.

Currently, this activity follows the standards set out in the Seeds and Seedlings Law of 2003, regulated in 2004. The ministry's intention is to develop a new proposal based on a consensus reached between producers and the government. At this first meeting, representatives presented the main points that need to be improved in the system.

For Reginaldo Minaré, consultant at the Brazilian Confederation of Agriculture and Livestock (CNA), legislation must be adequate to keep up with new technologies, but without taking away rights already guaranteed to producers. “The use of saved seeds for personal use, for example, should not and cannot be limited in this decree. Especially because there is already another law that guarantees this practice to farmers”, he states.

The representatives also defended the creation of new rules to standardize seed production inspection criteria and create other understandings. “The production of genetic seeds, due to its dynamism, needs to be the basis of production”, argues Márcio Pacheco, from Embrapa.

The regulation review process is conducted by the General Coordination of Seeds and Seedlings, of the Department of Plant Health and Agricultural Inputs of the ministry's Agricultural Defense Secretariat.