By Stella Odueme
As part of efforts to enhance seed varieties efficiency and increase yield and production, the National Agricultural Seeds Council (NASC) and other stakeholders are reviewing and validating the draft national seed regulations.
Towards this, NASC in collaboration with the Federal Ministries of Agriculture and Food Security, Finance, and Justice, ACRA organised national stakeholders review and validation workshop on draft national seed regulations in Abuja on Wednesday to also create opportunity for the private sector to invest in the nation’s seed industry.
The validation exercise focused on three key areas which include; the third party certification regulation 2025, the early generation seed production regulation 2025 as well as crop variety release 2025 respectively.
Speaking to Journalists during the workshop, the Director in the Office of the Director General of NASC, Mr. Dahiru Rabiu, described the move as a remarkable development that will shape the industry and enhance seed quality and efficiency for increased yields and productivity.
“Today’s event is a memorable one for the Nigerian seed industry because we are validating a set of regulations that we have put together for the seed industry. We have three regulations, the third party certification regulation 2025, the early generation seed production regulation 2025 and also crop variety release 2025.
“Now, if you look at the seed industry, it is practically growing by the day and the government in this region felt the need to implement a section of the National Agricultural Seed Council Act 2019 by bringing in some regulation that will operationalize the third party certification,” he stated.
Rabiu explained that by implication it means part of the activities of seed council which are to do with certification of field crops and vegetables as well as the laboratory aspect of it.
” I am talking generally on the quality assurance processes that would now be in the realm of the private sector. The council is going to license the private sector to handle some of these activities.
“If you look at the number of staff we have on ground, just too little compared to the growing need of the industry. By bringing private sector to invest into certification processes means to now give the farmer the assurance of having quality seed and then the reach out in terms of quality assurance processes will cover the entire country.,” he noted.
He also spoke on strengthening the Early Generation Seed EGS, among others, lamenting that Nigeria currently only meets 30% of its seed requirement when it comes to EGS as 80% comes from research institutions.
“So, we are testing our three models, the company model, the institutional model.
The company model entails a seed company who is producing a marketing company will have an internal quality control unit.
“We develop the capacity of that internal quality control and we license them to carry out such duties on our behalf. The seed council can now audit what these companies are doing.
“The issue of EGS, we are also developing EGS,, early generation seed. We are talking of the first two classes of seed.
Breeder developed by the breeding institution and also the foundation seed which is the second class of seed.
“Now, Nigeria is only meeting 30% of its seed requirement when it comes to EGS because 80% of what we have comes from the research institutions.
“So, we are also now licensing other seed companies to come into this business to make sure that the breeder and foundation seed are made available to seed companies and other seed producers to further multiply into commercial seed,” Rabiu stated.
Ultimately, he said the harmonization and validation exercise is targeted at increased and improved seed productivity and food security.
“Farmers need improved seed or improved yield. Productivity increase is what we are targeting because of the food security issues in Nigeria.
“So, the last but not the least, the stakeholders cut across the seed industry from the seed companies, the research institutions, even a sister agency from the science and tech which is the National Center for Genetic Resources and Biotechnology, NAFDAC is also here. So, what are we doing is to see that we have a regulation, a harmonized regulation for the entire country,” he noted.
Also speaking, the Registrar of the Plant Variety Protection Office in the National Agricultural Seed Commission, Dr. Folarin Okelola said that the validation and
harmonization of the regulations and laws will open up the seed production sector on the country
as it affects variety registration and release.
“We are aiming at validating the registrations and laws because when you have clear regulations or clear laws and people know what they need to do and how they have to do it, then you can get the best results. So, the seed space is a regimented space where everybody must know the manner or the approach to do things.
“So, today we are looking at harmonizing our regulations and our laws as it affects variety registration and release. And also looking at some other components like third party certification where we are trying to decentralize some of the roles that the seed council plays so that we can get better results.
“The intention is that our hands will be on the job but our hands will be off the job and we have people that can do the job for us.
“And finally, we are also looking at some challenges in the gaps to seed production. So, we are liberalizing the early generation seed space to allow that we bring in more actors to be able to produce bigger seeds which is the precursor of foundation seed and certified seed which the farmers use.
“So, all what we are doing today is to bring stakeholders to discuss, to judge, and look at what we are proposing so that when it comes out to implementation, we would have a smooth sale.”
On quality assurance unit, Dr. Okelola said; , that is what the regulation will spell out. If you are going to be able to qualify to have your own internal quality assurance scheme, what are the things that you must have?
“What are the things that we are going to be watching for? How do we train your staff? How will the council staff audit what you are doing? All those are the things that the regulation that we are putting in place will help us to do. In doing that, we will, of course, build capacity of the industry and they can perform these roles.”
He is spoke on the issue of funding, saying that the government alone cannot fund the sector.
“The government cannot continue to police the seed industry because we have a rapidly growing seed industry.
“So, what we need to do is also to bring in third party players that we will now regulate and oversight their work to ensure they are doing the right thing.”
