SeedConnect Africa Conference 2024 Set To Address Food Insecurity In Africa
By Ene Okwanihe, Abuja
The 2024 SeedConnect Africa Conference has commenced in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital, bringing together seed stakeholders on the continent to chart a way forward for the seed sector to boost food availability and security.
The 2 days event is being hosted by the National Agricultural Seed Council with the theme “Leveraging Seed Technology to scale up Africa agricultural productivity”.
Speaking at the event, the Minister of state for Agriculture in Nigeria, Dr. Sabi Abdullahi said agriculture which is the bane of Nigeria’s economy is faced with different production challenges which is largely due to lack of quality seeds.
“In Nigeria, agriculture remains a cornerstone of our economy, contributing approximately 25% of GDP and employing over 70% of the rural population”
“Despite its centrality, the sector has been plagued by low productivity, poor infrastructure, and systemic inefficiencies, particularly in the seed value chain. For decades, Nigerian farmers have faced significant barriers to accessing high-quality seeds, including high costs, limited distribution networks, and inadequate awareness of the benefits of improved seed varieties”.
Dr. Abdullahi noted that the government has been consciously making efforts to reverse this trend.
NIGERIA RAKES 8 MILLION DOLLARS SEED REVENUE
Speaking on Nigeria as a force in the West African agriculture sector, the Minister said Nigeria was able to make moves that impacted positively in Nigeria generating 8 million dollars from seed export in 2023.
“Membership in organizations like the International Seed Testing Association (ISTA), the OECD Seed Schemes, and the African Seed Trade Association (AFSTA) has positioned Nigeria as a leader in seed quality assurance and export standards. In 2023, Nigeria exported over 4,000 metric tons of certified seeds to neighboring countries, generating $8 million in revenue and reinforcing our role as a regional hub for agricultural innovation”.
Despite the achievements Nigeria has recorded in the region’s seed sector, Dr. Sabi said there’s a lot that still needs to be done to address some salient challenges in the seed sector, noting that public/private partnership, and investment in the sector could bridge the gaps.
“Addressing these gaps will require significant public and private sector investment, particularly in rural areas. Furthermore, combating the spread of counterfeit seeds remains a priority, necessitating stronger enforcement mechanisms and farmer sensitization campaigns”.
“To scale up impact, there is a pressing need to strengthen research and development. Increasing funding for national agricultural research institutions will enable them to expand breeding programs and develop seeds tailored to Nigeria’s diverse agro-ecological zones”. He added.
On his part the Director General of the National Agricultural Seed Council Dr. Ishiaku Khalid while welcoming participants reeled out the achievement of the agency in repositioning Nigeria and Africa’s seed system as follows;
i. The Introduction of the Plant Variety Protection (PVP) system as a panacea to increasing investment in plant breeding is a brilliant idea from SEEDCONNECT, and this journey effectively started after the Second edition in 2019. Today, I am happy to report the following progress in this regard.
ii. Nigeria’s membership of the OECD Seed Scheme and the benefits are ideas from this gathering.
iii. The amendment of the NASC Act with the introduction of stiffer penalties and a solid foundation for the introduction of technology to police the Seed Industry.
iv. The Introduction of a Turn-Key Electronic Seed Authentication System tagged ‘SEEDCODEX’ is fast becoming relevant in the Seed Industry as many of the Seed Companies have fully subscribed to its implementation. With this, farmers are sure of using the right seed, which has passed through the quality assurance processes of the NASC.
v. The Review of the National Agricultural Seed Policy.
vi. Our efforts to trace and track variety adoption through the introduction of DNA fingerprinting technology under the IMAGE project are currently ongoing. The first wave of the survey has been conducted, and results have been published. We are currently planning for the second wave.
vii. Diagnostic Certification and Molecular Analysis: NASC has continued to conduct various diagnostics analyses on virus indexing of the African mosaic Virus (ACMV), East African cassava Mosaic Virus (EACMV) and Cassava Brown Streak Virus (CBS). This is to ensure viral-free planting materials for vegetatively propagated materials.
viii. Third-Party Certification: NASC has engaged and trained about 74 Licensed Seed Inspectors (LSI) in five states, namely Benue, Kogi, Abia, Imo and Oyo to carry Third Party Certification to complement the services of NASC Certification Officers in states.
Dr. Khalid urged participants to come up with new ideas and innovations to move the African Seed Industry forward in tackling the global economic and food security challenges capable of bringing about the needed transformation in the Agricultural space.
The 2024 SeedConnect Africa Conference is currently ongoing in Abuja Nigeria’s capital,
Oyenike Oyeniyi
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