Seeds Working Group - The Chamber of Commerce in Ukraine

Please click here to download the Letter addressed to Yuriy Melnyk, Ministry on Agrarian Policy with our proposals on Regulation on Import of Patterns of Plants for Expertise on Suitability for Proliferation in Ukraine adopted by the Order of Ministry of Agrarian Policy of Ukraine # 512, dated August 15, 2008. (Ukr).

Please click here to download the Minutes of the Meeting of the Seeds Working Group, October 15, 2008.

On October 15^th the Chamber was pleased to hold the first meeting of the Seeds Working Group engaging all interested Chamber Members, who are professionals in their respective fields, to contribute positively in the process of reviewing the draft legislation in sphere of seed and planting stock. The Working Group has started the process of producing of recommendations and amendments to the Draft Law "On Seeds and Planting Stock".

The first meeting of the Working Group was devoted to the problem of import of seeds and planting stock as well as the issue of seeds registration in Ukraine. Participants of the meeting discussed provisions of the Regulation on Import of Patterns of Plants for Expertise on Suitability for Proliferation in Ukraine adopted by the Order of Ministry of Agrarian Policy of Ukraine (# 512, dated August 15^th, 2008). This Regulation will come into force on October 30^th, 2008.

Currently the import of new varieties of plants is stopped (by the Protest of the Prosecutor-General's Office of Ukraine dated June 26^th, 2008) and this situation hampers development and dissemination of the new varieties of plants in Ukraine as well as negatively impacts the business of companies providing agricultural products and producing seeds brands in Ukraine. For today seeds and planting stocks material can be imported only for the state researches.

The problem arose after the Public Prosecutor's Office suspended the Order of the Ministry of Agrarian Policy on Import of Patterns of Plants for Expertise on Suitability for Proliferation in Ukraine. Procedures for seeds and stock materials import to Ukraine presupposed two types of permits: permit for State research and special permits for scientific research. As a result of numerous abuses related with issuance of these permits State authorities imposed a ban on these activities. The State Service for Plants Protection was the State authority responsible for permits issuance.

If you would like to be involved to the Seeds Working group activities please contact the Chamber Senior Policy Officer Ilona Zadvorna.