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In line with its commitment to offer quality seeds to
farmers, the National Agricultural Seeds Council has warned all seed
producers against distribution of fake seeds. The failure to stop the
distribution will either result to a six-month jail term or a fine of N
.8million.
This warning was handed down by the Director General of the council, Dr. Olusegun Ojo in a statement made available yesterday to journalists in Abuja.
He said that the seeds to be imported must be registered and released with distinct descriptor from the country of origin. He also urged local and foreign operators to register their companies or face the consequences of non-compliance.
“The Seed Council must be notified on the arrival of imported seed for necessary quality assurance checks and also, the importing companies must have registered with NASC. As for the sanctions, the first offenders have to pay N800, 000 or serve a jail term of six months.If the person was arrested at the second time, he will also be fined 1.6million or go to jail for two years.
“We have approved 157 seeds companies of different categories, four life scales, nine medium scales, about 67 small scale and the others are accreditation sellers, that is how far we have gone,” the statement noted.
Furthermore, Ojo highlighted the reason for the enforcement of registration. According to him, “the registration is so important because if you don’t get it right, farmers will get a very bad productivity. That is what NASC doesn’t want. So, it is extremely important that they must get it right.”
In its efforts to sanitize the seed industry, Ojo disclosed that “NASC has shut down three seed (erring) companies; it is so important that they must get it right and if they don’t get it right, or won’t work.”
Meanwhile, the President of West Agro Input Dealers Association (WAIDA), Alhaji Olayinka Akinmade has said that the challenge of the group is from the seed producers.
Akinmade noted that “the seed council is doing their best to ensure we get high quality seed but it doesn’t appear as if there is much opportunity to monitor what the seed producers bring into the market.”
According to him, few of the operators are doing well. “When you go to the market and buy seed and there is no good monitoring, there will be bad seed. The challenge in seed is that you keep them dry and away from chemicals and fertilizer, so that you don’t destroy their germination and survival ability and others.”
He therefore called on the council “to support the seed producer, educate them, and give them fund. “With good funding, they can easily detect seed that will get into the market and the ones that must not get there,” he explained.
This warning was handed down by the Director General of the council, Dr. Olusegun Ojo in a statement made available yesterday to journalists in Abuja.
He said that the seeds to be imported must be registered and released with distinct descriptor from the country of origin. He also urged local and foreign operators to register their companies or face the consequences of non-compliance.
“The Seed Council must be notified on the arrival of imported seed for necessary quality assurance checks and also, the importing companies must have registered with NASC. As for the sanctions, the first offenders have to pay N800, 000 or serve a jail term of six months.If the person was arrested at the second time, he will also be fined 1.6million or go to jail for two years.
“We have approved 157 seeds companies of different categories, four life scales, nine medium scales, about 67 small scale and the others are accreditation sellers, that is how far we have gone,” the statement noted.
Furthermore, Ojo highlighted the reason for the enforcement of registration. According to him, “the registration is so important because if you don’t get it right, farmers will get a very bad productivity. That is what NASC doesn’t want. So, it is extremely important that they must get it right.”
In its efforts to sanitize the seed industry, Ojo disclosed that “NASC has shut down three seed (erring) companies; it is so important that they must get it right and if they don’t get it right, or won’t work.”
Meanwhile, the President of West Agro Input Dealers Association (WAIDA), Alhaji Olayinka Akinmade has said that the challenge of the group is from the seed producers.
Akinmade noted that “the seed council is doing their best to ensure we get high quality seed but it doesn’t appear as if there is much opportunity to monitor what the seed producers bring into the market.”
According to him, few of the operators are doing well. “When you go to the market and buy seed and there is no good monitoring, there will be bad seed. The challenge in seed is that you keep them dry and away from chemicals and fertilizer, so that you don’t destroy their germination and survival ability and others.”
He therefore called on the council “to support the seed producer, educate them, and give them fund. “With good funding, they can easily detect seed that will get into the market and the ones that must not get there,” he explained.
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