b'Uruguay Positions Itself to Be a Strong Seed Sector Partner As Uruguays agriculture sector continues to grow, it is a thriving country and partner for the seed industry.Alex MartinWELCOME TO THESeed Congress of thethe 2017-2018 harvest year, SAA reported that Americas, based in Punta del Este, Uruguay.the potential local seed market for species ana-When it comes to Uruguay, whats the first thinglyzed (summer crops, winter crops and legumes) that pops into your mind? If rolling pastures andamounted approximately to $200 million. When huge amounts of livestock are your first image,considering exports, the potential market for seed youd be thinking immediately of Uruguays agri- would have reached $225 million. culture sector.But more specifically, Uruguay has been foster-According to Nations Encyclopedia, Uruguaysing a period of growth and safety for the seed geography is best-suited to pastoral agriculture,sectornot only by ensuring a growing market, with vast lands for cattle and sheep90% ofbut by fostering a safe and predictable regulatory countryside in Uruguay is suited for such agricul- framework for the industry. ture.According to a study commissioned by the Since the 1990s, agriculture in Uruguay hasGlobal Partnership Initiative for Plant Breeding2.5continued to grow and prosper. According to aCapacity Building through FAO, in Uruguay "there report from the Seed Association of the Americasis close integration between research with organ- million tons is the (SAA) titled Uruguay, A Strategic Partner forized farmers and agro-industrial value chains, andamount of soybeans the Seed Business, Uruguays agricultures GDPresearch has been supported by a specific taxpredicted to be grew at rates close to 2% per yearwith the big- on agricultural production. Plant breeders\' rightsproduced in Uruguay gest highlight being that Uruguay registered high(PBR) are recognized and there is a public-privateduring the 2022 growth rates until 2008, particularly in the forestrysystem to ensure that royalties [technologicalseason.and grain production sectors. Not only that, butvalue] are paid to PBR holders, including on seeds in terms of GDP, agriculture contributes approxi- for their own use." 771,000 mately 25%its considered the main source ofNot only that, but Uruguay is working on imple-foreign exchange and it puts Uruguay in line withmenting many of the rules from UPOV 91, evenis the 5-year average other agriculture exporters such as Brazil, Canadathough it currently still follows UPOV 78. SAA alsoof wheat producedand New Zealand.notes that in 1981, Uruguay implemented its ownin Uruguay from2017-2022. In addition to pastures and livestock, UruguaySeed Law, enforced by the National Seed Institute has plenty of row crops that appear in fields across(INASE), with major revisions made in 1997 and25% the country. The USDA Foreign Agriculture Service2009. With the Seed Law comes production and reports that from 2017-2021, Uruguay produceduse of quality seed, support for the release of newis the amount of GDP a number of soybeans, wheat, barley, corn andgenetic materials, protection of intellectual prop- agriculture contributes rice across the country. Its biggest producer,erty rights and rules for seed production, trade andto Uruguays economy.though, was soybeansover the five years, USDAcertification, according to SAA. reported there was an average of 1,976,000 mil- In recent years, the volume of certified seed90% lion tons of soybeans harvested. From 2021-2022,produced and marketed in the country has Uruguay produced 2,020,000 million tons of soy- increased steadily, an indication of the existence ofof Uruguays land beans and is estimated to produce 2.5 million tonsa solid regulatory framework, SAA says.is used for pastoral in the 2022 harvest season.Make sure to take in all Uruguay has to offeragriculture, including According to SAA, the local seed market inwhile you visit for the Seed Congress of theraising cattle and Uruguay continues to grow and thrive. DuringAmericas.SW sheep.8/ SEEDWORLD.COMSEED ASSOCIATION OF THE AMERICAS 2022'