• Home
  • Agric
  • Sci, Tech & Innovation
  • Health
  • Environ/Climate Change
  • More
    • Business/Banking & Finance
    • Politics/Elections
    • Entertainments & Sports
    • International
    • Investigation
    • Law & Human Rights
    • Africa/AU/ECOWAS
    • Research and Development
    • CENTRAL AFRICA
    • EAST AFRICA
    • NORTH AFRICA
    • AFRICAN UNION/ECOWAS
    • Corruption/EFCC/ICPC
    • EFCC/ICPC
    • Hassan Gimba
    • ECONOMY, TRADE & INVESTMENT
    • Column
    • Prof. Jibrin Ibrahim
    • Prof. M.K. Othman
    • CSOs/ORGANISED LABOUR
    • Defense/Security
    • CRIME WATCH
    • DISASTER/ACCIDENT/FRSC
    • DEVELOPMENT STORIES
    • DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS
    • Education/JAMB/WAEC/NECO/NABTEB
    • EXAMS/JAMB/WAEC/NECO/NABTEB
    • SCHOOLS/INSTITUTIONS
    • Energy/Electricity
    • Entertainment/Arts & Sports
    • Society and Lifestyle
    • FAITH AND WORSHIP
    • Food & Agriculture
    • GOOD GOVERNANCE
    • Health & Healthy Living
    • Technology
    • INFRASTRUCTURE
    • International News
    • Interviews
    • Fact-check/Investigation
    • Judiciary
    • Legislature
    • Judiciary/Legislature/Law & Human Rights
    • LITERATURE
    • Oil & Gas/Mineral Resources
    • PEOPLE & PERSONALITIES
    • Media/PR/Journalism
    • PICTURES/VIDEOS/AUDIOS
    • Elections
    • General News
    • Presidency
    • PRESS RELEASES
  • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Board Of Advisory
    • Privacy Policy
    • Ethics Policy
    • Teamwork And Collaboration Policy
    • Fact-Checking Policy
  • Advertising
Facebook Twitter Instagram
Trending
  • Catholic youths unveil ICT resource centre in Abuja
  • Kano gov appoints 116 additional aides
  • Demolition: Court orders Kano govt to pay N30bn compensation to Eid shop owners
  • Ex-Kwara commissioner explains EFCC invitation
  • CSOs tasks govt on strategies to fund humanitarian services in northeast
  • FG inaugurates initiative to provide digital skills to 3m MSMEs
  • We’ll celebrate independence day with prayers – Osun governor
  • BBNaija: How I almost missed All-Stars participation – Cee-C
Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube
AsheNewsAsheNews
  • Home
  • Agric
  • Sci, Tech & Innovation
  • Health
  • Environ/Climate Change
  • More
    • Business/Banking & Finance
    • Politics/Elections
    • Entertainments & Sports
    • International
    • Investigation
    • Law & Human Rights
    • Africa/AU/ECOWAS
    • Research and Development
    • CENTRAL AFRICA
    • EAST AFRICA
    • NORTH AFRICA
    • AFRICAN UNION/ECOWAS
    • Corruption/EFCC/ICPC
    • EFCC/ICPC
    • Hassan Gimba
    • ECONOMY, TRADE & INVESTMENT
    • Column
    • Prof. Jibrin Ibrahim
    • Prof. M.K. Othman
    • CSOs/ORGANISED LABOUR
    • Defense/Security
    • CRIME WATCH
    • DISASTER/ACCIDENT/FRSC
    • DEVELOPMENT STORIES
    • DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS
    • Education/JAMB/WAEC/NECO/NABTEB
    • EXAMS/JAMB/WAEC/NECO/NABTEB
    • SCHOOLS/INSTITUTIONS
    • Energy/Electricity
    • Entertainment/Arts & Sports
    • Society and Lifestyle
    • FAITH AND WORSHIP
    • Food & Agriculture
    • GOOD GOVERNANCE
    • Health & Healthy Living
    • Technology
    • INFRASTRUCTURE
    • International News
    • Interviews
    • Fact-check/Investigation
    • Judiciary
    • Legislature
    • Judiciary/Legislature/Law & Human Rights
    • LITERATURE
    • Oil & Gas/Mineral Resources
    • PEOPLE & PERSONALITIES
    • Media/PR/Journalism
    • PICTURES/VIDEOS/AUDIOS
    • Elections
    • General News
    • Presidency
    • PRESS RELEASES
  • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Board Of Advisory
    • Privacy Policy
    • Ethics Policy
    • Teamwork And Collaboration Policy
    • Fact-Checking Policy
  • Advertising
AsheNewsAsheNews
Home»Food & Agriculture»How Accessible, Affordable Seeds Could Boost African Food Production
Food & Agriculture

How Accessible, Affordable Seeds Could Boost African Food Production

Abdallah el-KurebeBy Abdallah el-KurebeNovember 17, 2016No Comments4 Mins Read
Share
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email

By Abdallah el-Kurebe 

> The large multinational companies’ quality and range of seeds, if available and affordable, could help boost yields.” – TASAIndex

> “As the value of each seed increases, farmers look to get the most from it and protect that investment. This means planting earlier to hit that optimum window…” – Martin Faerber, Syngenta Seedcare

Generally, seeds play important role in agriculture and food security. It is the primary pride of farmers, followed by fertilisers. This explains why government and other stakeholders should ensure timely seeds accessibility to ‎farmers.


If smallholder farmers’ access to modern seed varieties ‎is improved, we could be sure that food security concerns would be tackled.


The African Seed Access Index (TASAI), which objective is to promote the creation and maintenance of enabling environments for competitive seed systems serving smallholder farmers‎, has established the fact that Western Africa was an exception in the activities of the seed industry. “There is a clear gap” and seed companies have no presence in Gambian Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Niger and Sierra Leone. 


TASAI notes that only 2.5 percent of seeds used by the farmers come from global seeds firms. Ido Verhagen, Executive Director of Access to Seeds Index had told the BBC News that “research shows that smallholder farmers use a mixed bowl of seeds, including seeds they have saved themselves, seeds that they buy from the market and certified seeds from companies.”


He posited that access to certified seeds from companies was limited not only because of availability but also affordability and capability.

Umar Aliyu, an agronomist with the Department of Crop Science, Usmanu Danfodiyo University Sokoto (UDUS) explained that ‎”government should make seeds available and affordable to farmers. Farmers need quality seeds, which genetic purity is aascertained. Seed companies have not met the needs of the farmers.”


Tukur Mu’azu, ‎Managing Director of Yola-based Asma Seeds Limited told me that seeds in Nigeria were insufficient for farmers. 


“The research institutes have not been able to meet the requirements of the seeds companies‎. Some of the foundation seeds are not properly processed by the institutes – their impurity in terms of foreign particles, different sizes, mix colours, especially in maize, germination rates are not as claimed by the institutes.

“Foundation seeds are not released to seeds companies at the appropriate time and ‎there is delay in the release of approvals to seeds companies for the purchase of the foundation seeds,” Mu’azu lamented.

On Certified Seeds, the Asma boss observed that Seeds Officer’s who monitor the entire seeds productions were inadequate‎ And that “unlicensed seeds abound in the market and are cheaper than the certified seeds.”‎

According to him, “educated farmers have high demand for certified seeds while the uneducated farmers prefer to use farm-stored-seeds.”

As a solution, Mu’azu suggested that “the Growth Enhancement Support Scheme (GESS) pro‎gramme introduced by the Federal government should be adopted with amendments in areas of: The National Agricultural Seeds Council (NASC) should be solely responsible for appointing seeds companies for the supply of seeds; the Seeds Officers should be assigned to collect the seeds from the supplying companies on behalf of the beneficiaries and prompt payments be made to the suppliers.‎”

However, the Director General (DG) of the National Agricultural Seed Council in Nigeria, Dr. Philip Ojo thinks that the industry was doing well.

According to him, for the 2016 wet season, 150.64mt of breeder and foundation seeds were received and distributed to seed companies.

“The seeds are expected to produce a total of 10,263,70mt of both foundation and certified seeds. ‎The Council supervised the production of over 69,787.674mt of quality and certified seeds in 2016 wet season and plans an additional 25,635.35mt for the dry season in order to prepare Nigeria for the 2017 early season production,” the DG said.

Ojo further assures that seed companies had stockpiles in their warehouses. “From our current seed stock position of seed companies, there is an additional 18,668.93mt available in warehouses of seed companies.”

It is my opinion that if ten seed companies ‎control 94 percent of global seeds market, then there is need to strengthen smaller companies to bridge the availability gap that now exist.

Also, as the African Seed Trade Association (AFSTA) Congress 2017 comes up in Dakar, Senegal between February 28th and March 2nd 2017‎, it is hoped that challenges of accessibility, affordability, and others would be addressed.

Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit Tumblr Email
Abdallah el-Kurebe
  • Website
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn

Related Posts

Expert urges millers, farmers to adopt alternatives to poultry feeds

September 29, 2023

Expert advocates improved preservation skills to reduce post-harvest losses

September 29, 2023

Poultry farmers seek urgent govt intervention in feed production

September 27, 2023

Leave A Reply Cancel Reply

Catholic youths unveil ICT resource centre in Abuja

September 29, 2023

Kano gov appoints 116 additional aides

September 29, 2023

Demolition: Court orders Kano govt to pay N30bn compensation to Eid shop owners

September 29, 2023

Ex-Kwara commissioner explains EFCC invitation

September 29, 2023
About Us
About Us

ASHENEWS (AsheNewsDaily.com), published by PenPlus Online Media Publishers, is an independent online newspaper. We report development news, especially on Agriculture, Science, Health and Environment as they affect the under-reported rural and urban poor.

We also conduct investigations, especially in the areas of ASHE, as well as other general interests, including corruption, human rights, illicit financial flows, and politics.

Contact Info:
  • 1st floor, Dogon Daji House, No. 5, Maiduguri Road, Sokoto
  • +234(0)7031140009
  • ashenewsdaily@gmail.com
Facebook Twitter Instagram Pinterest
© 2023 All Right Reserved. AHSE NEWS Daily. Designed by DeedsTech.

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.