ISF World Seed Congress 2023 in Cape Town: overview
The ISF World Seed Congress 2023 met on 5–7 June at the CTICC in Cape Town, co-hosted by SANSOR, with seed trade and breeding partnerships in focus.
5–7 June 2023, Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC), Cape Town, South Africa
The ISF World Seed Congress came to Cape Town on 5–7 June 2023, gathering the international seed trade at the Cape Town International Convention Centre.
What happened at ISF World Seed Congress 2023
In June 2023 the International Seed Federation held its World Seed Congress in South Africa, with the national seed organisation SANSOR as local partner. Meetings and sessions ran from 5 to 7 June at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC). This is a specialist congress, not an open fair. Its business is seed: the trade in it and the cooperation between the breeders, producers and distributors who supply it.
With Cape Town as host, the 2023 congress met on the African continent. The agenda turned on varieties, seed quality and the supply chains that carry seed between countries. Many meetings dealt with partnerships rather than single products. A new variety reaches growers only after testing in several environments, multiplication and distribution, so delegates were planning several seasons ahead.
Breeding companies, seed businesses, distributors, researchers and industry bodies made up most of the delegates. Individual farmers rarely attend, yet decisions taken here influence which varieties dealers can offer a few years later. For a company meeting a possible partner in Cape Town, the opening question was simple. Does this firm hold genetics, multiply seed, run distribution or offer a specialist service?
The congress gave seed businesses a clear view of the chain between a breeder's trial plot and a farmer's field. Good genetics alone do not make a product. Multiplication, quality control and dependable delivery decide whether seed is ready when growers need it. Partnership talks were most productive when each side's role in that chain was clear from the start.
Highlights
- Held 5–7 June 2023 at the CTICC in Cape Town, South Africa
- Run by the International Seed Federation and South Africa's SANSOR
- Seed trade, variety partnerships, multiplication and quality on the agenda
Agricultural events 2023
