In Bangladesh, USAID’s Agriculture Policy Activity Supports Collaboration on Seed Policies

Participants in the January 16, 2023 Executive Roundtable on National Seed Policy.

The Feed the Future Bangladesh Agricultural Policy Activity held an Executive Roundtable on National Seed Policy in Dhaka on January 16, 2023. The event, which brought together 33 leaders and experts from government, the private sector, and academia, was chaired by the Chairman of the Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation and moderated by the Vice Chancellor of Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University. The Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture’s Policy Planning and Coordination Wing presided over the gathering.

The seed sector is one of four pillars anchoring the Policy Activity’s work in Bangladesh, which aims to improve policy formulation, analysis, advocacy, reform, and implementation. By engaging a wide range of stakeholders, the Policy Activity is working to ensure more inclusive policy systems, including in the seed sector.

Discussions at the roundtable centered around eight prioritized areas and corresponding recommendations for the growth of the seed sector. The recommendations, which emerged from extensive consultations facilitated by the Policy Activity at the national and regional levels, include timely release and registration of seed varieties, beefing up seed certification processes, streamlining access to quality seeds, and increasing diverse representation at the national seed board.  

With many of Bangladesh’s regions facing severe threats from climate change, the Policy Activity’s work in the seed sector has taken on added urgency. Responding to this, the Policy Activity has helped elevate the voices of public- and private-sector stakeholders in the national conversation around seed policy. To date, the team has organized workshops that brought together dozens of local representatives in Jashore, Khulna, Barisal, Cox’s Bazar, and Bandarban. These consultations were followed by a national seed policy workshop held in Dhaka last November.

The event brought together 33 leaders and experts from government, the private sector, and academia.

As a next step in the process, the Executive Roundtable provided an opportunity for participants to thoroughly review each prioritized policy area by tracing its connection to the government’s seed policy, regulations, and acts; share practical experiences highlighting how each policy area impacts the seed sector; and deconstruct the relevant legal clauses that need to be addressed. The roundtable culminated in consensus on the recommendations and how best to see them reflected in policy.

By the end of the event, the Policy Activity managed to accumulate a set of inputs to enhance the issues and recommendations that will be revised and formally submitted to the Minister of Agriculture in the form of a White Paper.

Resources

Read about the Bangladesh Policy Activity’s work in the seed sector and beyond.