NASC AND THE WAY FORWARD ON GOOD SEEDLING FOR FOOD SECURITY
The Director General, NASC, Dr. Phillip Ojo, in work of the workshop on seeds stated that “it is in a bid to find solution to the multifarious challenges bedeviling the production and delivery of Early Generation Seeds (EGS) in the National Seed System” that NASC has taken a number of steps.
The agency stressed that the problem in the sector, that requires urgent attention, include low improved seed adoption rate, low yield per hectare, adulterated and fake seeds in the seed markets, knowledge gap of improved seed benefits as to where and how to where and how to identify quality seeds, and lack of connectivity with agro-industries.
To deal with the situation, NASC sought a special intervention fund from the Federal Government to scale up Early Generation Seeds production to make sure that seed system growth in Nigeria.
The four-year intervention sought last year was N7.6billion covering 2017 to 2020, which expected to add 10,355 tons of EGS and 918,743 metric tons of certified seeds within the period.
If granted such intervention would dramatically help to preposition the industry.
Strengthening research institutes, others is important
Almost all the 16 research institutes and colleges of agriculture and the three universities of agriculture are doing very little regarding seed development due to poor funding and budgetary allocation.
A source in one of the research institutes who sought anonymity said some PhD holders in some of the institutes are returning to the universities because of lack of funds and facilities to do demand-driven research-something that government needs to seriously look into.
Government most also provide the enabling environment for the seed companies; entrepreneurs to do sustainable seed business in the country.
A number of them and the global leaders like Monsanto and Syngenta, in collaboration with National Agricultural Research Institutes have so far released some seed varieties in some of the grains, legumes and tubers but most lack capacity to widen their reach to millions of smallholder farmers in the country.
OLAM Nigeria, for instance, has made a significant investment in the soybeans value-chain. The company partnered with IITA and invested into bringing the highest quality of Soybean seeds into the country. It has the best team of breeder scientists, seed scientists as well as $150m factory plant that creates breeder seeds, foundation seeds, and certified seeds on an average 1000 hectares of land.
The company recognizes the scarcity of good seeds in the country and resolves to double production to over two million metric tons soybean production in the next five to seven years.
No matter the efforts, however, there is need for immediate government intervention just as interventions from private participants, donor agencies as well as research institutes are needed. Time for action is now; tomorrow will leave us behind in sub-Saharan Africa as Kenya, South Africa and Ethiopia are going faster.
