Overview of Illicit Seeds – Recent Developments, Traceability and Blockchain

The menace of illicit seeds continues to haunt farmers across the globe. And when it’s the festive season, the problem starts mushrooming in almost all countries and continents, irrespective of whether it is India in Asia, Ecuador in South America, Georgia in Europe, or Kenya, Egypt, Ghana, and Tanzania in Africa.

In recent years, there has been an increase in illegal seed practices, including counterfeit, fake, fraudulent labelling, intellectual property infringements, regulatory offences, trademark infringements, and thefts of proprietary material.

According to ‘Access to Seeds Index for Eastern and Southern Africa 2019’, it was found that in Uganda, 30% of seeds planted by farmers are fake – a reality replicated across many African countries.

In other parts of the world, the numbers are similar. In Ecuador, for instance, at least 30% of seeds have an illegal origin – a problem that mainly afflicts seeds for mass consumption products such as rice and corn.