Subsistence is limiting the use of improved seeds - Premier Seeds MD Prof. Ogungbile

The practicing of subsistence farming in Africa and Nigeria particularly has been attributed to none maximum utilizations of improved quality seeds by small holders’ farmers who still plant grains as seeds not knowing that the yield of a grain cannot be compared to the higher yield the improved ones can provide. 

Speaking, the Managing Director, Premier Seeds Nigeria Limited, Prof.  A.O Ogungbile who commended the Growth Enhancement Support (GES) of the Federal Government said that commercialization of agriculture as business will be the most effective tool that would make farmers see reason in using improved quality seeds for maximum yield on a small expanse of land saying subsistence farming may not really make farmers see the need as long as the grain planted still give yield for their immediate family consumption.

Prof. Ogungbile stressed that the ecology advantages of our soils in Nigeria is so good that both grains and improved seeds can be planted, and both will still give yield but pointing that the difference will be in yield quantity which a small holders may not necessary count as important as long as he sees the one that can keep his home and family alive thereby seeing no reason why grains cannot be planted.

He added  only the people doing agriculture as business  will consider land expanse to quality of improved seeds that will give a maximum yield for the purpose of processing and packaging for marketing in a competitive way thereby emphasizing the need why commercial agriculture is very strategic to our economic development in terms of job creation.

“Our small scale farmers are very poor, they cannot afford to buy quality seeds and God is so faithful to us by the nature of our soils which can grow both improved seeds and even grains when both are planted. Many farmers plant grains instead of improved seeds as long as the yield harvested can cater for himself and the home alone. 

The use of improved seeds by farmers cannot grow to capacity with this kind of thinking except when agriculture are taken from subsistence farming to commercial farming ” say Prof. Ogungbile.

He however commended the effort of the outgoing government for her effort on GES saying the new incoming government should continue with this policy but advised on the need to adjust some areas of the process that needed to be well articulated to make the inputs distribution more efficient for the purpose of continuity with prompt payment to companies supplying these inputs in order to avoid high bank interest rate occasioned by default.

 He that” delay in payment makes us to loss our profit as commercial banks will deduct their money from the source since the payment will be paid into their accounts, and the moment the agreement date of single digit of 9% is not met, then that means we will be charged on the compound interest rate of 18% which would have eaten all the profit as payment is always delayed due to process involved”