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In Sri Lanka, a biodiversity hotspot, seed production activities are dominated by the public sector, notably the Department of Agriculture’s Seed and Planting Material Development Centre.
The country has opted for a sui generis system for the protection of plant varieties. However, no progress has been made in passing suitable legislation for plant variety protection after a draft bill on Plant Variety Protection (Breeder’s Rights) was passed in 2001.
Most of the quality seed in the country is imported and distributed to farmers by the private sector. Important vegetable seed distributors include Troseed and Best Seeds, while maize seed and paddy seed are distributed by companies such as CIC Agri Businesses and Hayleys Agriculture.
As Sri Lanka is dependent to a large extent on imported seed, in 2017 the Department of Agriculture and Lal Teer Seed of Bangladesh implemented a project to increase vegetable seed production in the country. The project is planned to be implemented on the premises of Field Crops Research and Development Institute, Mahailluppallama.
There is an increasing need to introduce suitable legislation protecting plant breeders’ rights, which would encourage greater involvement by private sector companies.
Nineteen index companies report having a presence in Sri Lanka, with eight companies having testing locations.
Advanta is the only company producing seed, and 95% of the seed is produced by smallholder farmers.
Only Advanta and Known-You Seed report providing extension services.
| Company | Crops in portfolio | Company activities in country | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Companies selected for the Access to Seeds Index |
Field crops |
Vegetables | Breeding location |
Testing location |
Seed production |
Processing location |
Sales | Extension services |
||||||
| Acsen Hyveg | ||||||||||||||
| Advanta | * | |||||||||||||
| Bayer | ||||||||||||||
| Bejo | ||||||||||||||
| Charoen Pokphand | ||||||||||||||
| Corteva Agriscience | ||||||||||||||
| East-West Seed | ||||||||||||||
| Enza Zaden | ||||||||||||||
| Kalash Seeds | ||||||||||||||
| Known-You Seed | ||||||||||||||
| Lal Teer Seed | ||||||||||||||
| Limagrain | ||||||||||||||
| Monsanto | ||||||||||||||
| Nongwoo Bio | ||||||||||||||
| Nuziveedu Seeds | ||||||||||||||
| Rijk Zwaan | ||||||||||||||
| Sakata | ||||||||||||||
| Syngenta | ||||||||||||||
Other index companies are also active in the country. However, country-specific information for these companies is not available or was provided under non-disclosure.
Other companies identified in the regional landscaping study and their activities
| Company | Crops in portfolio | Company activities in country | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Field crops |
Vegetable crops |
Breeding location |
Seed production |
Sales | ||||
| Best Seeds | ||||||||
| CIC Agri Businesses | ||||||||
| Hayleys Agriculture | ||||||||
| Lankem Ceylon Plc - Agro | ||||||||
| Troseed | ||||||||
