Tanzania says efforts to establish a common regional seed market could undermine smallholder farmers' rights, indigenous seed varieties and traditional seed-sharing systems.
Tanzanian agriculture stakeholders have challenged the proposed East African Community Seed and Plant Varieties Bill, 2025, warning that efforts to establish a common regional seed market could undermine smallholder farmers' rights, indigenous seed varieties and traditional seed-sharing systems.
The Bill seeks to harmonise seed testing, certification, variety evaluation, registration and trade across the EAC, while establishing a regional framework for protecting plant breeders' rights. Once passed by the regional parliament, domestic lawmakers must adopt it for local ratification.
