The FAO Representation in Afghanistan in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture will celebrate the WFD on Thursday, 16th October 2008, at Badam Bagh, Kabul. This ceremony includes inauguration of the National Seed Secretariat Building and the Perennial Horticulture Development Centre at Badam Bagh in Kabul, which will become the umbrella institution for all seed industry functions in the country.

The new National Seed Secretariat is situated in close proximity to the Central Seed Testing Laboratory in Kabul and accommodates the apex institutions for coordinating seed industry functions in Afghanistan, comprising the National Seed Board and its affiliated bodies namely the Variety Release Committee, the Seed and Plant Health Inspectorate, the Seed Certification Agency, and the Afghanistan National Seed Association. The National Seed Board will be proclaimed upon ratification of the Seed Law, which is currently at parliament level for consideration. The Seed Board will function as the highest body in the seed sector with overall oversight for the management of the national seed programme and having autonomy and freedom to carry out its functions.

Text from FAO representation in Afghanistan.