High-Quality Seeds: Accessing Food Security for ASEAN
We examine the importance of high-quality seeds for food security in ASEAN, exploring the role of seeds in improving crop yields, the challenges and barriers to accessing quality seeds, and potential solutions and strategies for improvement.
The total population among ASEAN countries is projected to reach 723 million by 2030. That is an increase of 25 million people from this time of writing at the start of 2025. Among various challenges that present themselves from this rapid growth of population in the region, food security is a critical concern with the continuous increase in demand for food. A crucial deciding factor in ensuring food security in the region is high-quality seeds, a commonly overlooked commodity. High-quality seeds are the foundation of productive and resilient agricultural systems. These seeds contain genetic traits that provide higher yields and improved crop quality, and, more importantly, they are more tolerant to pests, diseases, and environmental stresses. These factors make high-quality seeds one of the key pillars of ensuring food security in ASEAN.
Seed Quality Characteristics
High-quality seeds exhibit several key characteristics that contribute to their superior performance. These characteristics include:
Genetic purity and uniformity: High-quality seeds are genetically pure and uniform, ensuring that each plant in the crop population possesses desirable traits such as yield potential, disease resistance, and agronomic performance.
Physical purity: The seed lot should be free from impurities such as weed seeds, inert matter, and other crop seeds, which can affect germination and crop quality.
Germination rate: High-quality seeds display excellent germination rates, ensuring the rapid and uniform emergence of seedlings.
Seed moisture content: Proper moisture content is crucial for seed viability and storage longevity.
Vigor and seedling health: High-quality seeds produce vigorous seedlings that are better equipped to withstand environmental stresses.
Disease resistance and pest tolerance: High-quality seeds often possess inherent resistance or tolerance to common diseases and pests.
Adaptation to environmental conditions: Well-adapted seed varieties exhibit optimal growth and performance under specific agro-climatic conditions.
Quality assurance and certification: Seed certification programs ensure that seeds meet specific quality standards.
The Role of High-Quality Seeds in ASEAN Food Security
Studies have indicated that the hybrid variety of crops can deliver up to 50% higher yields than the conventional variety. This massive increase in potential yield numbers makes hybrid varieties a desirable commodity for farmers and for addressing the growing food demands in ASEAN. Not only does the crop variety need to produce yields, but the crop quality must also be enhanced to meet nutrition and market standards. High-quality seeds make it more likely that these high-yield crops are nutritious and meets the market standards, especially in ASEAN where malnutrition is a massive concern, promoting and distributing high-quality seeds also tackles this issue.
The ASEAN region is notorious for erratic rainfalls, droughts, floods, and temperature variations throughout the year, which threaten agricultural production, food security, and livelihoods. Resilient, high-quality seeds must meet the region's expectations in nutrition and quality. However, ASEAN's initiatives and frameworks are currently in place to pursue high-quality seeds.
Thailand is a leading country within the region in terms of seed producers and exporters in the hopes of becoming a global seed supply hub. Their government has launched various initiatives including a program that has set a target of creating 12 new rice variants that have improved disease resilience and higher yields. The long-standing collaboration between the Thai Department of Agriculture (DOA), the Thai Seed Trade Association, and other private-sector entities towards improvements in seed quality, seed sanitation, and seed purity have all contributed to Thailand’s success in the seed sector. Regional frameworks such as the ASEAN Declaration on Strengthening Food Security and Nutrition in Response to Crises establish the region's commitment to improving access to high-quality seeds for better food security in the region.
Challenges and Barriers to Accessing High-Quality Seeds
Where high-quality seeds are one of the foundations for food security in the region, smallholder farmers are the backbone of food production in ASEAN. However, despite the research and development of high-quality seeds, farmers still face barriers to accessing them.
A challenge faced by multiple ASEAN nations is the limited availability of high-quality seeds. In many ASEAN countries, the seed sector is met with limited domestic production capacity, which in turn results in high reliance on imported seeds. For example, Vietnam imports around 70-80% of its formal seed supply; this method of accessing seeds can lead to shortages and higher prices for smallholder farmers.
Inadequate transportation networks and infrastructure also contribute to seed accessibility by hindering distribution efficiency. This is especially true for farming communities in remote areas, which are highly prevalent in ASEAN. However, smallholder farmers may not have been aware of the benefits of using high-quality seeds in the first place, and there is a lack of awareness of their importance.
Another increasing concern is the presence of counterfeit seeds in the market. The eventual failure of germination and low yield results, leading to damaging financial losses, can discourage farmers from investing in quality seeds or taking a chance on hybrid variants. Addressing these challenges requires a multifaceted approach to promoting, developing, researching, and marketing quality seeds within the region through various stakeholders, including governments, seed companies, research institutions, and NGOs.
Moving Forwards Through Accessibility
Ensuring food security in ASEAN begins with strengthening each member state’s domestic seed production. Promoting domestic seed production through providing incentives to local seed companies or initiatives for their research and development will make high-quality seeds more readily available and affordable, even for smallholder farmers. On the topic of affordability, innovative financial mechanisms are now being seen present in many remote areas. Why not introduce microcredit schemes and seed voucher programs to open the door for farmers to overcome their financial constraints and have the ability to invest in quality seeds? In addition to tackling the issue of counterfeit seeds with strict seed quality regulations, awareness campaigns will protect farmers from financial losses and maintain their trust in the seed industry. By implementing these potential solutions and strategies, ASEAN can strengthen its food systems and ensure food security for all.
