SeedQuest Forum

Jim Udsen - Agristar do Brasil Ltda.

April 2003

	The issue of Brazilian Pest Risk Analysis (PRA) has gotten a lot of press. Please explain what it's all about and how it impacts the trade.
	PRA’s have caused our Brazilian seed trade a lot of grief over the past year and the problem was not resolved with the new legislation passed in November 2002. Working through our seed association, ABCSEM (Associação Brasileira de Comércio de Sementes e Mudas), we expect yet another change this year to hopefully facilitate matters. The Brazilians believe they are following the WTO decrees and the issue becomes even more confusing when you consider the regulations of countries that export seed to Brazil. PRA’s are supposed to be developed based on seed origin, where it was produced. How do you make a PRA for countries that nationalize seed produced in China and other countries instead of issuing a re-export phyto? The only country that issues re-export phyto’s is the USA! So getting PRA’s completed has been almost impossible.