DUSHANBE, July 7, 2008 Asia-Plus — The Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) intends to open four modern variety testing stations (VTS) under support of the Swedish International Development Agency (Sida) as part of the Sida-funded “Support to Seed Industry Development ”in Tajikistan” project.
Narzullo Dadaboyev, a spokesman for a MoA, said that international consultant of the project, Mr. Richard Little, has been invited to the country to study that issue.
During a month, the international consultant has studied the situation and visited many districts across the country. As a result of survey conducted by the consultant, representatives of Sida jointly with Safar Oripov, the head of Tajikistan’s state commission for variety testing (SCVT), have selected variety testing plots (VTP) in Tursunzoda, Qubodiyon, Jabborrasulov and Muminobod districts for creation of seed labs and VTSs, the spokesman said.
According to him, the VTSs will receive 5 ha of irrigated lands and necessary agricultural equipment each for carrying out seed-testing work. Appropriate equipment will be delivered to the country within the next two months and the VTSs will have $1 million worth of agricultural equipment each.
Dadaboyev said that the intentional consultant had also pointed out a number of technical problems connected with allotment of lands, maintenance of the agricultural equipment and creation of labs. The agriculture minister charged relevant bodies to remove existing shortcomings. The minister also pointed to the necessity of adoption of the law on crop breeding achievements, which is still under elaboration, and Tajikistan’s joining the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV).
According to the spokesman, there had been 11 variety testing labs in Tajikistan in the Soviet time. They are currently not in operation or require modernization, Dadaboyev said.
