9million seed gap: Farmers lament, PERL advocates quality.

Pictures speak at the recently held Experience sharing and advocacy strategies review technical session on Agricultural seed, Organized by the Partnership to Engage Reform and Learning (PERL)

In a bid to ensure the use of quality seed to fill up the nine million gaps in the Agricultural sector across the country, the Partnerships to Engage Reform and Learning (PERL) held a two-day workshop on “Sharing the Experience and Advocacy Strategies Review Technical Session on Agricultural Seeds”.

This is to further reposition the sub sector towards the production and distribution of quality seeds to farmers.

The workshop brought together relevant stakeholders from different sub-sectors of the industry to brainstorm and cross fertilize ideas on filling the gaps that is responsible for low quality of seeds, thereby advocating for a proactive road map that will help the farmers set agenda on seeds in Nigeria that the government would follow.

This two-day event organised by the DFID held in Kaduna where participants advocated for the use of quality seeds to stabilize production that would lead to food security across the country.

The convener of the PERL Chika Okon said that it was important to hold the programme as many farmers have voiced out on the poor quality of seed that is being distributed and sold in the open market, which has ended up reducing the quantity of yield of farmers during harvest.

Okon pointed that farmers as the producers of food for the Nigerian populace need better and quality seeds that would help to reposition the sector, adding that  the issue of low quality seed must be resolved through relevant agencies. She stated further that the current nine million seed gap in the country has been a result of lack of political will on the part of the authorities.

Deputy Clerk of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Mr. Abdulazeez Yusuf disclosed that the meeting was necessary for the improvement of quality and improved seed, stating that PERL should involve more seed stakeholders so as to able to close the created gap in quality seeds production. Added that the seed law was in the second reading at the lower house of the National Assembly, and it is not responsible for the lack of quality seed.

Yusuf continued saying that there are issues with proactive advocacy when it comes to agricultural seeds in particular added that farmers need to set the agenda on seeds in Nigeria for  government to follow. He noted that with the recent passage of the National Agricultural Seeds Council Amendment Bill by the House of Representatives but yet to be sent to the Senate will also fast track a better regulated seed system in the country when fully assented.

Speaking at the programme, Chief Agriculture Officer, Mr. Idi Mohammed, representative of the Director General of the National Seed Council, noted that as a regulatory body for the seed, we try to make sure that we have good and certified seed in circulation, so that farmers can experience increase in food production across the country. Pointing that farmers are not even aware of the difference between seed and grain, this has led to low yield during harvest.

Mohammed added that his agency holds a yearly sensitization programme to teach and sensitize farmers on access to high quality seeds and seedlings to boost in production. He further added that many farmers have lost millions of their investment in the business in recent times.

Participants include farmers, government institutions, academia and Community based organizations recommended that more emphasis should be done on seed advocacy that will cement the gap amongst farmers and seed producers, adding that regular awareness creation was also necessary to reposition the sub-sector.