b'Uruguay Stepping into STRONG POSITIONonGLOBAL SEED STAGEUruguays seed industry is well positioned for the future.Madeleine BaergWHILE MOST SEEDproducing nations depend on an integrated system of variety registration, variety listing, seed certification and seed labeling to enable and support the use and movement of seed both domestically and for export, each countrys system is unique.In March of 2023, JRG Consulting Group prepared a com-prehensive report for the Canadian Food Inspection Agency comparing the seed systems in six key seed producing coun-tries: Canada, the Netherlands, New Zealand, the U.K., the U.S. and Uruguay. The report provided key global insight, and correctly identified Uruguay as a seed producer of note on the global scale. This article summarizes the key findings from that report, and outlines the benefits of, as Diego Risso, executive director of the Seed Association of the Americas, says, this country of opportunities.Uruguay has a centuries long tradition of growing crops. However, its seed industry and seed regulatory system are quite new. The National Institute of Seeds (INASE) was created just 25 years ago (1997) to help build Uruguays fledgling seed industry. Despite its newness, Uruguays seed industry is growing. Data from INASE shows exports are climbing upwards from 16,300 total tonnes in 2017 (the first year for which INASE has data) to 19,100 total tonnes in 2021. Meanwhile, seed imports (though inconsistent from year to year) are generally trending downwards, from a high of 32,900 tonnes in 2010 to an aver-age of 12,600 between 2019 and 2021.12/ SEEDWORLD.COMLATAM'