Summary.
Article 1 proposes establishing the National Seeds Committee (Comité Nacional de Semillas) to ensure the quality of seeds and propagation material used in production and to oversee compliance with applicable rules. Article 2 assigns it joint responsibility with the Ministry of Agricultural Development (Ministerio de Desarrollo Agropecuario) for regulating seed production, processing and marketing in Panama. The committee would also develop technical systems for processing, storing and marketing seeds; regulate imports and exports in line with ministry policy; certify quality; set production quotas; approve multiplication plans; establish minimum standards; sanction violations; recommend seed production policy to the Executive Branch; adopt its internal rules; and prepare its operating budget.
Article 3 requires the evaluation, analysis and certification of imported seeds or propagation material to be completed within ninety (90) calendar days after a complete application and the required documents are submitted. The committee would adopt technical and administrative measures to meet that deadline. Article 4 provides for a committee chaired by a representative of MIDA and including representatives of IDIAP, BDA, ISA, the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences of the University of Panama (Facultad de Ciencias Agropecuarias de la Universidad de Panamá), seed users, producers and importers, ANAM and ANALMO. An executive secretary would also participate with the right to speak.
Articles 5 and 6 provide for a permanent technical secretariat headed by an executive secretary appointed by the Ministry of Agricultural Development. It would recommend seed production quotas and maintain records of origin, germination, purity and other quality information concerning seeds handled by domestic multipliers and importers. It would inspect multiplication fields, processing plants, warehouses and seed outlets, implement the decisions of the National Seed Committee (Comité Nacional de Semilla) and its internal rules, and perform secretarial work. Under Article 7, the committee would submit an annual operating budget proposal to the ministry for inclusion in the ministry’s annual budget; member institutions would provide financial and operational support. Article 8 sets a three-year term for the appointment of the members of the Patronato.
Articles 9 through 11 propose incentives linked to certified seeds to promote domestic agricultural production and cultivation. Producers using seeds certified by the committee could receive economic, technical, financial or training support under ministry programs. Incentives would also go to producers who increase cultivated area or production volume using certified seeds, with priority for crops of national interest and domestic consumption. Articles 12 and 13 assign the committee and the ministry responsibility for certifying compliance with incentive requirements and supervising their application, while the ministry would regulate eligibility, procedures and control mechanisms. Article 14 provides for commencement on the day after promulgation. The provisions concern the named public bodies, seed producers, users, importers, multipliers, processors and retailers, and the agricultural sector.
What it proposes.
- Establishment and powers of the National Seeds Committee.
- Seed production, processing, marketing and certification.
- Evaluation of imported seeds and incentives for using certified seeds.
Who it would affect.
- Agricultural producers and seed multipliers.
- Seed importers, processors and retailers.
- Users of seeds and propagation material.
- Public bodies represented on the committee.
Key points.
- Establishes the National Seeds Committee to oversee the quality of seeds and propagation material and compliance with applicable rules.Art. 1
- Assigns the committee regulatory and certification powers, authority to set quotas and approve multiplication plans, and power to sanction violations.Art. 2
- Sets a maximum of ninety (90) calendar days to evaluate, analyze and certify imported seeds or propagation material after a complete application is submitted.Art. 3
- Provides for institutional representatives and representatives of seed users, producers and importers on the committee.Art. 4
- Creates a permanent technical secretariat to keep quality records, conduct inspections and implement committee decisions.Arts. 5-6
- Requires an annual committee budget proposal and sets a three-year appointment term for members of the Patronato.Arts. 7-8
- Provides incentives for agricultural producers who use certified seeds or increase cultivated area or output with them.Arts. 9-11
- Assigns responsibility for certifying, supervising and regulating incentives and provides for commencement on the day after promulgation.Arts. 12-14