Open Access

In Tanzania and across sub-Saharan Africa, the public sector plays a vital role in plant breeding, but challenges persist in ensuring that publicly bred crop varieties reach the market. Regulatory processes at both national and regional levels, including variety release, registration, and licensing for private commercialization, are key to the dissemination of these varieties. Inefficient or complex regulations can hinder the timely commercialization of public varieties, limiting their availability to farmers and reducing the impact on agricultural productivity and food security. Aligning national and regional rules can enhance market access for public varieties across borders, ultimately helping public institutions fulfill their mandate of developing and deploying crop varieties as public goods for broader agricultural and economic development. This Report is designed to serve as a practical guide for National Agricultural Research and Extension Systems (NARES) and their partnerships with international research centers (CGIAR Centers) to assess common regulatory issues that affect dissemination and commercialization of public varieties.1 Tanzania’s regulatory system governing varietal release, registration, and plant breeders' rights (PBRs) establishes the legal foundation for the licensing and commercialization of public varieties. These national rules are also aligned with regional seed regulations under the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the East African Community (EAC), due to Tanzania’s membership in both regional economic communities (RECs). Varietal registration at the regional level expands the potential reach of regionally registered varieties, offering opportunities for broader market access within these regional trade blocs. Despite the general understanding of national varietal release rules within the seed sector, there are significant gaps in the knowledge and application of regional varietal registration rules. This lack of understanding has contributed to the fact that no public varieties from Tanzania have been registered in the SADC Seed Variety Catalogue. The process of varietal registration is closely interconnected with the licensing of public varieties, the rules surrounding PBR, and the institutional framework governing the Tanzania Agricultural Research Institute (TARI), the country’s primary public breeding institution. TARI is mandated by its founding regulations to license only protected varieties. However, there are evident knowledge gaps surrounding PBR, with only a limited number of public varieties protected. This presents a challenge for TARI’s ability to register and license varieties both nationally and regionally. Addressing knowledge gaps through training, capacity building, and dissemination will be crucial for aligning Tanzania's breeding sector with regional and international standards. Strengthening the link between Tanzania’s national varietal release process and regional seed rules under SADC and the EAC would facilitate smoother regional market access for Tanzanian varieties, benefiting both breeders and farmers. TARI may also explore a reevaluation of the institutional structures, policies, and regulations governing licensing and obtaining PBRs to widen the scope of licensable varieties and increase potential revenue. This comparative report focuses on aspects of seed regulation in Tanzania and regionally that are central to dissemination of publicly bred varieties, specifically the process of registering seed varieties, intellectual property protection, and licensing of public varieties. Given the growing importance of regional seed rules, it explores the available avenues for seed registration in the context of Tanzania's current regulatory framework, highlighting the challenges and opportunities that NARES and CGIAR Centers may face when pursuing regional variety registration. It also assesses legal and regulatory issues surrounding the licensing of public varieties and the process for claiming PBR in Tanzania. Methodologically, the report uses Regulatory Systems Maps (RSMs), which offer step-by-step guidance on the varietal release processes in Tanzania and at the regional (SADC) level. These maps help identify regulatory flexibilities, good practices, gaps, and implementation challenges, aiming to streamline the regulatory environment and enhance transparency and efficiency.

Text in English

CGIAR Trust Fund Breeding for Tomorrow

https://hdl.handle.net/10568/179094