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Enhancing Rice Seeds Trade: India-Bangladesh project

A project review meeting addressing barriers and opportunities for rice seeds trade between India and Bangladesh. Supported by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, focusing on promoting knowledge-sharing. Major findings and outcomes highlighted.

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Enhancing Rice Seeds Trade: India-Bangladesh project

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  1. Addressing Barriers to Rice Seeds Trade between India and Bangladesh (RISTE) Project Review Meeting 18th July, 2014, Jaipur Suresh P Singh Policy Analyst

  2. Background • Supported by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation • Focus on four states in eastern India (Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha and West Bengal) and Bangladesh • Project goal: To develop an enabling environment to promote seeds trade and Knowledge-sharing on HYV rice seeds between India and Bangladesh • Project objectives: • Understanding of factors that drive demand and flow of HYV rice seeds in Eastern Indian States and Bangladesh to identify varieties with bilateral trade potential • Understanding of systemic enabling factors and challenges to bilateral knowledge sharing and trade in seeds between India and Bangladesh, particularly on HYV rice seeds • Influencing changes to policies and practices to facilitate formalisation and expansion of trade and knowledge-sharing on HYV rice seeds between Bangladesh and India

  3. Objective 1: Understanding of factors that drive demand and flow of HYV rice seeds in Eastern Indian States and Bangladesh to identify varieties with bilateral trade potential Activities undertaken: • Literature review • 15 Farmers’ FGDs (3 in each states in India and 3 in Bangladesh, covered about 500 farmers); • Interactions with seed producers; • Interactions with seed retailers; • Interactions with seed associations; • Interactions with research institutions; • Interactions with government officials

  4. Focused Group Discussion with Farmers, Jharkhand

  5. Focused Group Discussion with Farmers, West Bengal

  6. Focused Group Discussion with Farmers, Bangladesh

  7. Stakeholders’ Meeting, Patna, Bihar

  8. Contd… Major findings • Demand and flow of HYV rice seeds is driven by • Timely availability • Level of awareness on adaptable varieties (however, this is not a sufficient condition, other factors also have influence on demand/flow) • Price and affordability • Distance between villages and retailers’ shop • Efficiency/inefficiency in certification agencies • Efficiency/inefficiency in marketing and distribution channels • Level of private sector engagement (or lack of it)

  9. Contd… Major findings Rice seeds varieties informally traded/used by farmers in Bangladesh and India identified. These seem to have potential for bilateral trade. These include: • Indian varieties in Bangladesh: Swarna (lalswarna, guti, sada); Minikit (Zira Minikit); Swampa; Parijat; Mamun; Somsor; others • Bangladeshi varieties in India: BR 9; BR 11 (BB 11); BRRI 28; BRRI 29; others

  10. Contd… Outcomes: • A clear understanding of factors that drive demand and flow of seeds • A clear understanding of adaptable Bangladeshi and Indian rice seeds varieties

  11. Objective 2: Understanding of systemic enabling factors and challenges to bilateral knowledge sharing and trade in seeds between India and Bangladesh, particularly on HYV rice seeds Activities undertaken: • Literature review • Interactions with seed producers and retailers; • Interactions with seed associations; • Interactions with research institutions; • Interactions with government officials, including certification and quarantine agencies

  12. Meeting with Seed Dealer, Bangladesh

  13. Meeting with Bangladesh Seed Association, Dhaka

  14. Contd… Major findings • Challenges (institutions, laws, policies, regulations and practices) to bilateral knowledge sharing and trade • HYV rice seed, a notified crop • Lack of understanding on knowledge sharing and trade • Lack of harmonisation in seed laws, regulation and policies • Issues relating to Intellectual Property Rights • Apprehension of local stakeholders (fear of external dependence) • Industry’s fear of market capturing by other party

  15. Contd… Major findings • Enabling factors with potential to promote knowledge sharing and trade • Adaptability of Indian HYV rice seeds in Bangladesh and vice versa • Wider preference and acceptability of Bangladeshi variety rice seeds in India and vice versa • Wider acceptance of issues and challenges relating to HYV rice seeds availability and accessibility and acceptance potential for knowledge sharing and trade by stakeholders • Progress of SAARC seed bank and member countries efforts towards harmonisation • Cooperative political regimes in Bangladesh and India

  16. Contd… Outcome: • Clear understanding of challenges and enabling factors

  17. Objective 3: Influencing changes to policies and practices to facilitate formalisation and expansion of trade and knowledge-sharing on HYV rice seeds between Bangladesh and India Activities undertaken: • Production and dissemination of reports, research papers and articles; • Five state and national level consultations (4 in India and 1 in Bangladesh); • International conference at Dhaka (active participation of 110 stakeholders from varying background); • Five media briefing workshops (4 in India and 1 in Bangladesh); • Continuous interaction with stakeholders (government agencies, research institutions, national and state level seed associations, and others) Other activities: • Initiatives to facilitate cooperation between relevant and similar institutions in both the countries

  18. International conference in Dhaka, 20-21 December, 2013

  19. Contd… Major findings/outreach • More than 100 media coverages at state and national level published in national/state print/electronic media; • Increasing willingness among stakeholders towards knowledge sharing and trade

  20. Contd… Outcomes: • Stakeholders now seem to be at consensus towards promotion of knowledge sharing and trade in HYV rice seeds This is evident from: • According to a highly reliable source, in a recent meeting of the government officials, it has been agreed that both the countries should identify rice varieties for trial across the border. The process of identification of rice seed varieties is underway. • According to the same source ‘a final agreement on cross-border trial is expected to be signed by end of this year (2014)’

  21. Some missing links … • Yet to have a clear picture of the magnitude of informal trade between the two countries • A better understanding of this would make advocacy and outreach activities sharper and focused.

  22. And we hope … We, the research team (CUTS and Partners) engaged in the implementation of this project, are highly hopeful that activities undertaken in this project till now in combination with ongoing advocacy and outreach activities will help the project achieve its goal: “To develop an enabling environment to promote seeds trade and Knowledge-sharing on HYV rice seeds between India and Bangladesh”

  23. Thank you for your attention sps@cuts.org

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