Seed companies, others removed from GES rain season planting

Seeds

There are indications that the seed companies and the Value Chain Supply Managers (VCSM) who had actively participated in the last Growth Enhancement Programme (GES) of the Agricultural Transformation Agenda (ATA) of the last administration may have been tactically eased out from the present 2016 wet season planting arrangement of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD) that is about to commence.

This issue came up at an organized meeting held with few stakeholders of agro dealers and fertilizer companies late last month by the FMARD toward the planning for the wet season cultivation that is supposedly to have taken place early this year.

Although some stakeholders were very indifferent to the removal of VCSM from the process obviously because of the complications they were alleged to have created during the last exercise of GES compilation which resulted to abnormal figures and other manipulation with mixed feelings on why the seed companies were not officially involved like the agro dealers.

Despite the acceptability of GES continuity by majority stakeholders, there have been several calls for modification of it for more efficient performance as  the Nigeria Agricultural Payment Initiative (NARI) is already expected to be the next level of the programme according to the CEO, Cellulant Nigeria and Chief of Party, Mr. Akin Akinboro who said Federal Government had already made up her mind to improve on the lapses in the process so as to further ensure accountability of government subsidy on fertilizers and improved seeds.

The meeting which was held recently according to our source was planning towards wet season crops cultivation as agro dealers will be assigned to anchor the inputs supply in about six states which includes Katsina, Bauchi, Gombe, Kano, Kaduna and one other state.

Many stakeholders are already asking why the entire south was left out without any collection centres, just as they queried the absence of the seed companies in the whole exercise, saying where the agro dealers would get the enough financial capability to supply improved seeds to farmers without the involvement of the companies who are the official producers.

Our source said this is an avenue to allow fake seeds being supplied to the farmers as many of the agro input sellers also have seed companies, but which are not officially registered adding that government should give it a deep thought before embarking on the programme without official involvement of the registered seed companies so as to ensure traceability in case of any eventuality.

Again our source added that for FMARD to be planning for wet season cultivation by August will amount to big error as where can they get improved seeds at this time for such cultivation because these improved seeds varieties  cannot be kept like fertilizer for a longer time, except the government has made up their minds for the worst.

Although the true position of the FMARD on the wet season planting cannot be ascertained as news of government shifting the preparation for the dry season is very high according to another source who said the planting for wet season was already late for the ministry through the NARI adding that the limited fund is making government to take more cost effective measures to any programme.