By Wallace Mawire
Zimbabwe’s Director of Research Services department Dr Claid Mujaju has been recently elected as an executive member of the International Seed Testing Association (ISTA) at its 33rd congress held in Cairo, Egypt on 8 to 11 May 2022, Farmers Review Africa has learnt.
According to Dr Mujaju, during the ISTA Ordinary General Meeting held on the last day of the congress, a new Executive Committee (ECOM) was elected.
On behalf of Zimbabwe and the Africa Region, Dr Claid Mujaju, Director of Research Services Department in the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development, was elected to the new International Seed Testing Association Executive Committee for the Triennium 2022 to 2025.
Dr Mujaju also said that the congress successfully fulfilled its function serving as platform for more than 100 representatives of the ISTA Community to meet and discuss ideas, projects, and plans.
Zimbabwe was represented by its designated members,Ms Necia Mutangabende, the Seed Testing Quality Manager and Dr Claid Mujaju, the Zimbabwe Designated Member and the ISTA Executive Member for Africa Region.
ISTA is a leading global organisation whose vision is uniformity in seed quality evaluation worldwide. It develops standard seed testing methods, facilitates the trade of quality seed and makes a valuable contribution to agriculture ensuring food and nutrition security.
The ISTA 2022-2025 EXCOM members are: ISTA President Keshavulu Kunusoth from India, ISTA Vice- President Ernest Allen from USA, ISTA Immediate Past President Steve Jones from Canada, ISTA Members at- Large: Ignacio Aranciaga from Argentina, Sylvie Ducournau from France, Ruel Gesmundo from the Philippines, Berta Killermann from Germany, Craig McGill from New Zealand, Claid Mujaju from Zimbabwe, Sergio Pasquini from Italy, Vanessa Sosa from Uruguay.
Benefits of Zimbabwe being a member of ISTA include internationally recognition as an Official Seed Testing Station (ZW01) Accredited for sampling, germination, purity and other seeds determination and moisture tests, promoting uniformity in seed testing, receiving the ISTA rules containing standardised methods and techniques to be used in seed testing, getting valuable information through ISTA publications, being prioritised in any ISTA event, special reduced registration fees for ISTA Congresses, ordinary meetings, symposia and workshops, being involved in the seed testing methodology development,a part of an international network of seed, participating in the ISTA Proficiency Test Programme to assess technical performance rating, becoming accredited and issue ISTA International Certificates which provide passport data on seed quality for seed moving in international trade and participating in the ISTA decision making process.
According to Dr Mujaju, ISTA personal members may be appointed as designated members and vote at ISTA ordinary meetings on behalf of the government concerned.
It is also said that the impact of being a member of ISTA to the Zimbabwean agriculture sector include guarantee increased and improved trade in quality seed.
Dr Mujaju said that Zimbabwean imports and exports in seed are of internationally recognized quality, ensuring seed security, which ultimately ensure food security of the nation.
He said that ISTA therefore in terms of assuring high seed quality, contributes to the aspirations of the blueprints within the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development.
‘Furthermore, meeting food security, import substitution, foreign currency generation, employment creation, improved livelihoods and incomes, as a result of using quality seed, will indeed lead to attainment of Vision 2030 to transform Zimbabwe into an upper middle-income economy’ he said.
Dr Mujaju also said that the ISTA Secretary General will be visiting Zimbabwe on 12 July 2022 to discuss seed testing related topics with the ISTA Executive Committee Member and Designated Authority for Zimbabwe as well as meet with representatives of the seed sector.
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