Early Generation Seed Poses Challenges to Nigerian Green Revolution

Seeds

*Stakeholders Cry over scarcity of breeders, condemn seed importation.

Scientists and other stakeholders have identified early generation seeds as serious challenge to agricultural development in Nigeria, just as scarcity of breeders in research institutes was spotted with condemnation to seed importation.

These are the observations at  the recently concluded stakeholder meeting organized by the National Agricultural Seed Council (NASC) towards achieving economic muscle through commercial agriculture using improved technologies of early maturing improved seeds. 

On the occasion the  Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh’s address during the opening ceremony of the event highlighted the need to address the challenges of making available quality early generation seeds towards achieving the goals of the Green Alternative Agenda pointed “ the Federal Government needs make available quality early generation seeds in the seed value chain, while also taking stock of how best to ramp up production and create the necessary institutional structures and linkages to ensure a well -Coordinated seed production system of various crops in the National Seed Systems”

He added “this becomes very important and critical if we must achieve the goal of the Green Alternative Agenda of this administration to attain self- sufficiency in our local staples. Our target is achieving self-sufficiency and become net exporter of such priority crops as rice in 2018, tomato paste and Wheat in 2019 and increase local production of maize, soyabean, poultry and livestock in the years after” 

The DG NASC Dr. Philip Ojo said that NASC is to build a market driven seed industry for the production and distribution of high quality seed to the availability, accessible and affordability to all farmers in the country and beyond saying 70% of seeds used in West Africa is from Nigeria. 

Dr. Ojo noted that the challenges of sustainable early generation seeds in Nigeria was as a result of lack of incentive for breeders with respect to an enabling environment, adequate funding for research and lack of enforcement of intellectual property rights for researchers, adding that this has led to the decline in the quality, availability and market for the seed system in Nigeria. 

 He Added that the”liberalization policy on foundation seed production adopted since 2011 has not yielded the expected result as the vacuum created by the withdrawal of NASC from playing  the pivotal role of triggering breeder seed production by NARIs for foundation seed production by NASC and distribution/sales to seed companies”

Scientist present at the workshop from the various research institutes also used the medium to cry out on challenges facing production of early generation seed due to the scarcity of breeders in the research institute, which has deterred the increase and continuous production of quality early generational seeds.

 The Executive Director, Institute of Agricultural Research (IAR), Professor. Abubakar during his presentation said that the numbers of breeders in research institutes was quite below requirement; it has critically affected the production of quality seeds, which has translated into poor early generation seeds, particularly breeders’ seed saying the center for excellence should be resuscitated with a need for a well-equipped laboratory, storage cold room and irrigation expansion.

Prof Abubakar also identified while mentioning other challenges faced to buy the institute, said that land is not a problem, adding that there is a need for a well-equipped laboratory, storage-cold room, irrigation expansion, while restating that breeding is a major problem, most importantly molecular breeding, because that is where genetic of seed can be picked.

The representative of the Lake Chad Research Institute said that early generation seed is a challenge for the wheat sector to meet up with 3.7million tons to 4.7 million tons consumption requirement saying FG must develop an investment plan for seed production centre in order to meet up with demand.

Maji Alhassan Tswako the team leader from Rice Africa said that government should properly look into the funding research stating that” the research institutes are not commercial institutes and without funds the research institutes can do nothing” He further condemned the importation of seed into the country as he disclosed that Dangote is currently planning on importing seeds from.