TheCable

The African Seed Access Index (TASAI), a not-for-profit organisation, says poor quality control and inadequate funding for research are challenges affecting seed production in Nigeria.

Speaking on Monday at the SeedConnect Africa, an annual programme organised by the Nigerian Agricultural Seed Council (NASC), Mainza Mugoya, TASAI’s programme coordinator, said poor quality control, capacity of seed companies, extension services, and funding for research institutes remain major challenges of the seed system.

“There are several challenges in the seed system and these challenges vary by country,” he said.

“In Nigeria, one of the challenges is still on quality control, there is a need to ensure that quality is maintained in the very beginning from research through the production of basic seed, through the processing of the seed up to commercialisation because any of those steps can be compromised with the expected quality.

“The second challenge is the capacity of the seed companies. Seed companies need to have the capacity to meet the quality control guidelines that the government has set.

“That is the production standard, the inspection standard, the processing standard, the labelling and marketing standard have to be adhered to the latter.

“Sometimes, when companies are established, they need time to build their capacity to meet those standards.

“The third challenge is the extension services. In Nigeria, the capacity of extension services is still a bit weak.

“The fourth challenge is the funding and technical support to research institutions that develop seed varieties which are commercialised for farmers.

“In many cases, these institutions lack the funding to do the breeding activities and also maintain the varieties they have produced.”

Launched in 2015, TASAI is an industry research tool that monitors the development and competitiveness of national seed sectors in Africa.

TASAI’s goal is to create, promote, and maintain enabling environments (including institutional, policy, and regulatory realms) for formal seed systems serving smallholder farmers to catalyse inclusive agricultural transformation in Africa.

The work of TASAI is coordinated by TASAI Inc., an international not-for-profit organisation, with remote teams located in multiple African countries and the USA.