Private sector seed health testing lab accreditation for facilitation of seed trade

25 August 2026. Private sector seed health testing lab accreditation for facilitation of seed trade

9th session of the APAARI Community of Practice on Public–Private Partnership (PPP), featuring practical perspectives on implementing ISPM 45, global guidance, industry experiences, and the role of the private sector in seed health testing and accreditation.

• Core topic: Practical implementation of ISPM 45 (international standards for authorizing entities to perform phytosanitary actions).
• Key Themes: Technical, regulatory, and partnership requirements needed to build trusted third-party laboratory authorization systems and accreditation for seed health testing

Seed trade is assuming greater significance in the Asia-Pacific region. However, there are several phytosanitary concerns affecting the safe trade of seed in developing and least developed countries. The most prominent issues include:

• Seed-transmitted pest lists not being updated, affecting the pest risk analysis process (ISPM 2).
• No ePhyto solution in place.
• Lack of compliance with the international standard on the movement of seeds (ISPM 38).
• Lack of coordination between national plant protection organizations and the private sector.

STDF/PG/755 increased seed trade and market access for the Asia-Pacific region by increasing the capacity of national plant protection organizations to meet relevant phytosanitary standards.

 

This webinar was the closure of a 3 years project

• Rose Souza Richards, International Seed Federation

• Kanokwan Chodchoey, East-West Seed Company Ltd

Q & A

@Rose Souza-Richards ISF How does Commercial Seed Trade impact Community Seed banks + Farmer-Managed Seed Systems? Which are the main tensions + opportunities in the interaction between these two systems ?

the challenge is not to choose between commercial and farmer-managed seed systems. It is to create a fair interface between them. Commercial trade contributes scale, investment and innovation; farmer-managed systems contribute diversity, local knowledge, adaptation and resilience. A sustainable seed sector needs both—and governance that prevents one from undermining the other.

Related:

The Standards and Trade Development Facility (STDF) funds similar, highly focused phytosanitary and trade capacity projects across Africa. Rather than launching a single massive pan-African seed project, STDF targets regional hubs and specific exporting countries to improve compliance with Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) measures. 

The closest direct equivalents and related initiatives in Africa include:

1. Growing Regional Seed Trade in Zambia (Project PPG-1044)

• The Project: As of 2026, STDF has an ongoing project titled Improving SPS Capacity in Zambia to Grow Regional Seed Trade.
• The Goal: Despite being one of Africa’s largest seed exporters, Zambia faces heavy compliance challenges. This project brings together the Zambia Seed Trade Association (ZASTA) and national plant quarantine services to streamline seed certification and scale up cross-border seed exports. [1]

2. The Center of Phytosanitary Excellence (COPE) in East Africa (Project PG-171 / PPG-968)

• The Project: Similar to how the APAARI project established regional seed portals and digital tools in Asia, STDF funded the creation of the Center of Phytosanitary Excellence (COPE) in Kenya. [1, 2]
• The Goal: COPE enhances the capacity of national plant health systems across Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda. It provides professional training to public and private stakeholders on safe seed certification, pest-risk analysis, and international plant health standards. 

3. Electronic Phytosanitary Certification (ePhyto) Rollouts

• The Project: Just like the APAARI project implemented digital ePhyto solutions in Southeast Asia, STDF co-funded a massive global ePhyto Solution Project alongside the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC). 
• The Goal: This digital push heavily targets developing nations across Southern and East Africa. It replaces fragile, paper-based seed certificates with electronic data exchange, dramatically reducing shipping delays and trade barriers for African seed and agricultural exporters.