How can the capacity bottleneck of national variety approval trials be resolved?
In 2016, with the implementation of the new Seed Law, China's seed industry once again entered a new golden period of strategic development opportunities. The National Agricultural Technology Extension and Service Center will fully assist the Seed Management Bureau of the Ministry of Agriculture in organizing seed management agencies at all levels nationwide to seriously study and implement the Seed Law, formulate and issue supporting regulations for the Seed Law, do a good job in seed production and operation licensing management, variety approval trials and registration, seed market supervision and management, the construction and management of national-level seed production bases and the national seed industry information management platform, and strive to improve the technical management and service level supporting the development of the modern seed industry.
Focus on resolving the capacity bottleneck of national variety approval trials. Variety approval trials are the focus of attention in the seed industry, and the main contradiction is that the current demand for varieties to enter trials has surged sharply while the capacity of the national variety trial system is seriously insufficient. In 2016, the National Agricultural Technology Extension and Service Center will take two major measures to resolve this prominent contradiction. Open up the green channel for integrated breeding, propagation and promotion enterprises. In accordance with the provisions of the Seed Law, enterprises integrating breeding, propagation and promotion that meet the conditions stipulated by the Ministry of Agriculture will be fully allowed to conduct their own trials for the corresponding crop varieties. Revitalize resources and broaden the channels for national variety trials. In accordance with the requirements of the Ministry of Agriculture's new Measures for the Administration of Major Crop Variety Approval, requirements for national variety trial conditions and technical standards will be formulated, allowing independent legal entities with their own varieties and trial conditions to form trial consortia and voluntarily apply to jointly carry out national variety approval trials; after passing review, the variety trials of the trial consortia may be incorporated into the unified management of national variety approval trials.
Establish a variety registration work platform and mechanism as soon as possible. The non-major crop variety registration system is an important new institutional arrangement under the Seed Law, aimed at promoting the breeding, protection and seed market supervision of new non-major crop varieties. The Ministry of Agriculture has authorized the National Agricultural Technology Extension and Service Center to be responsible for carrying out the specific work of non-major crop variety registration. In 2016, our center will assist the Seed Management Bureau of the Ministry of Agriculture in issuing as soon as possible the Measures for the Administration of Non-Major Crop Variety Registration and the List of Crops for Non-Major Crop Variety Registration, researching and issuing guidelines for non-major crop variety registration and operational guidelines, developing a national online platform for non-major crop variety registration, and establishing a linkage and collaboration mechanism for variety registration between the national and provincial levels and among provinces, carrying out registration in accordance with the principles of submitting DUS reports from qualified third parties and VCU reports from enterprises, and registering a variety only once nationwide. Strengthen variety registration management, and establish a credit record for variety registration applicants and a system for withdrawing registered varieties.
Strengthen seed industry information services and research on seed industry development. In accordance with the requirements of the Seed Law, fully assist the Seed Management Bureau of the Ministry of Agriculture in doing a good job in the top-level design of the national seed industry information management platform, and in accordance with the principles of standardized processes, structured data and intelligent use, build a national seed production and operation licensing and filing management system, a variety approval trial and registration management system, a seed quality control and market supervision system, and a seed production and operation archive and traceability management system. Establish a system for reporting, sharing, disclosing and publishing information on seed industry management and seed production and operation. Strengthen the collection and analysis of important information across the industry, and edit and publish the 2016 Annual Development Report on China's Seed Industry and the National Seed Industry Data Handbook. Strengthen the scheduling of seed production, supply and demand and dynamic monitoring of the seed market, release market operation information in a timely manner, and ensure smooth market operation and seed supply security.