Certified rice seed: contribution to food security and sovereignty

Abstract

The National Institute for Agricultural Research (INIA), through the rice genetic improvement program, has released, from 1975 to the present, 14 varieties of rice (Oryza sativa L.), which has guaranteed the producer, varieties with high yield adapted to the agroecological conditions of the main producing areas. Likewise, INIA, through the National Seed Plan, maintains the production of basic seeds of high quality and purity, in order to guarantee the producer a weed-free seed with a high germination percentage, in order to obtain a better productivity.

On the other hand, the historical evolution has demonstrated the power of the seed, as a factor of security and food sovereignty, since the agricultural opportunities or threats of the countries depend to a large extent on their capacity to produce, store and commercialize seeds. and food for its population. These antecedents highlight the strategic convenience of the Venezuelan State to implement successful agricultural policies (Miranda, 2004).

The aforementioned is reflected in the Plan de la Patria (2013-1019), specifically in the national objective 1.4: “Achieve food sovereignty to guarantee the sacred right to food of our people” and in the strategic objective 1.4. 2.6., Which subscribes the following: "Increase the national production and protection of seeds of strategic items, in order to satisfy the requirements of the national planting plans for consumption, protecting the population, from the cultivation and consumption of transgenic products and others harmful to health ”.