Vea la versión en español a continuación
Vegetable seed from the shop is usually covered in a pink or orange dust, a fungicide. Since I was a kid, I have associated the color pink with seed.
Farmers and gardeners in tropical countries often buy imported, pink seed. So when Bolivian seed companies appeared, I was glad to be able to buy envelopes of local garden seed. It was better than importing seed from the USA or Europe. Â I barely noticed that the Bolivian seed was pink. Then on a visit to some agroecological farmers, they told me that they were buying the pink seed, but then rearing it out, to produce their own, natural seed.
Recently I have begun to notice artisanal seed growers, offering untreated vegetable seed at some of the fairs around Cochabamba, Bolivia. I was tempted to buy some, but I still had seed at home.
A few days ago I opened some of my seed envelopes, which I bought several months ago. The package says they are viable for two years. I was pleased to see that the envelopes were full of natural seed, untainted by fungicides. I planted cucumbers, lettuce and arugula, and the natural seed has all sprouted nicely.
I was so pleased that I decided to call the seed manufacturers and congratulate them. Some positive feedback might encourage them to keep selling natural, uncoated seed.
I picked up a seed packet to look for the companyâs phone number, when I noticed that it said âWarning!â in big red letters, and in fine print: âProduct treated with Thiram, not to be used as feed for poultry or other animals.â
Thiram is a fungicide. I wondered if the seed had been treated with fungicide, but not dyed, or if the company was avoiding pesticides, but was still using up its supply of old envelopes.
I called the company, and a friendly voice answered the phone. I introduced myself as a customer, and said that I liked the pesticide-free seed. Then I asked if this lot of seed had fungicide or not.
The seed man said that no, the seed had not been treated with fungicide, but that it should have been. That is a requirement of the government agencies Senasag (National Service for Agricultural and Livestock Health and Food Safety) and INIAF (National Institute of Agricultural, Livestock and Forestry Innovation).
I asked why this seed was untreated.
âThe girl must have forgotten to put it on,â the seed man said. This may strike readers in northern countries as casual sloppiness. But sometimes regulations are lightly enforced in Bolivia. My cucumber seeds were packed in May, 2021, during the height of the Covid lockdown. I was impressed that they were able to keep producing seeds at all.
The seed man didnât seem to mind that the seed was untreated, and he repeated that he applied the pink stuff because it was required by law. He didnât seem convinced that it was necessary. He seemed sympathetic to people who preferred natural seed. He added that he did sell untreated seed to customers who wanted it. He had some customers who ate sprouted lettuce seed for their gastritis, and he made them special batches of untreated seed.
Before we got off the call, the seed man offered to make me a batch of untreated seed in the future. I just had to order it.
I think I will.
It is important that seed consumers look for untreated seed. But governments also need to do more to help make it available.
Previous Agro-Insight blogs
Some videos on seed
Farmers’ rights to seed: experiences from Guatemala
Farmers’ rights to seed: experiences from Malawi
Organic coating of cereal seed
Maintaining varietal purity of sesame
Harvesting and storing soya bean seed
ADIOS A LA SEMILLA ROSADA
Jeff Bentley, 8 de enero del 2023
Las semillas de hortalizas de la tienda suelen estar cubiertas de un polvillo rosado o color naranja, un fungicida. Desde que era niño, he asociado el color rosado con las semillas.
Los agricultores y jardineros de los paĂses tropicales suelen comprar semillas rosadas importadas. Por eso, cuando aparecieron las empresas bolivianas de semillas, me alegrĂ© de poder comprar sobres de semillas locales para el huerto. Era mejor que importar semillas de los Estados Unidos o Europa. Apenas me di cuenta de que las semillas bolivianas eran rosadas. Luego, en una visita a unos agricultores agroecolĂłgicos, me contaron que compraban la semilla rosada, pero que luego la criaban para producir su propia semilla natural.
Recientemente he empezado a fijarme en los cultivadores artesanales de semillas, que ofrecen semillas de hortalizas sin quĂmicos en algunas de las ferias de los alrededores de Cochabamba, Bolivia. TenĂa ganas de comprar algunas, pero aĂșn tenĂa semillas en casa.
Hace unos dĂas abrĂ algunos de mis sobres de semillas, que comprĂ© hace varios meses. SegĂșn el paquete, son viables durante dos años. Me alegrĂł ver que los sobres estaban llenos de semillas naturales, no contaminadas por fungicidas. SembrĂ© pepinos, lechugas y rĂșcula, y todas las semillas naturales han brotado muy bien.
Estaba tan contenta que decidĂ llamar a los fabricantes de semillas y felicitarles. Una respuesta positiva podrĂa animarles a seguir vendiendo semillas naturales sin recubrimiento.
CogĂ un paquete de semillas para buscar el nĂșmero de telĂ©fono de la empresa, cuando me di cuenta de que decĂa “ÂĄPrecauciĂłn!” en grandes letras rojas, y en letra pequeña: “Producto tratado con Thiram, no utilizar como alimento para aves u otro animal”.
Thiram es un fungicida. Me preguntĂ© si la semilla habĂa sido tratada con fungicida, pero no teñida, o si la empresa estaba evitando los plaguicidas, pero seguĂa usando sus sobres viejos.
LlamĂ© a la empresa y una voz amable contestĂł al telĂ©fono. Me presentĂ© como cliente y dije que me gustaban las semillas sin plaguicidas. Luego preguntĂ© si este lote de semillas tenĂa fungicida o no.
El encargado me dijo que no, que la semilla no habĂa sido tratada con fungicida, pero que deberĂa haberlo sido. Es una exigencia de las agencias gubernamentales SENASAG (Servicio Nacional de Sanidad Agropecuaria e Inocuidad Alimentaria) e INIAF (Instituto Nacional de InnovaciĂłn Agropecuaria y Forestal).
Pregunté por qué esta semilla no estaba tratada.
“Se habrĂĄ olvidado la muchacha”, me dijo el semilleristya. A los lectores de los paĂses del norte les puede parecer un descuido. Pero, a veces, en Bolivia los reglamentos se aplican con cierta flexibilidad. Mis semillas de pepino se empaquetaron en mayo de 2021, en plena cuarentena de Covid. Me impresionĂł que pudieran seguir produciendo semillas.
Al semillero no pareciĂł importarle que las semillas no estuvieran tratadas, y repitiĂł que aplicĂł el producto rosado porque se lo exigĂa la ley. No parecĂa convencido de que fuera necesario. Se solidarizaba con los que prefieren las semillas naturales. AñadiĂł que vende semillas sin tratar a los clientes que la desean. TenĂa algunos clientes que comĂan semillas pregerminadas de lechuga para la gastritis y les preparaba lotes especiales de semillas sin tratar.
Antes de terminar la llamada, el semillero se ofreciĂł a hacerme un lote de semillas sin tratar en el futuro. SĂłlo tenĂa que pedirlo.
Creo que lo haré.
Es importante que los consumidores busquen semillas no tratadas. Pero los gobiernos también tienen que hacer mås para ayudar a que estén disponibles.
Previamente en el blog de Agro-Insight
Algunos videos sobre la semilla
Derechos de los agricultores a la semilla: Guatemala
Derechos de los agricultores a la semilla: Malawi
Organic coating of cereal seed
Maintaining varietal purity of sesame
Harvesting and storing soya bean seed
