AFAN frowns at seed dealers

 *Minister seeks stiffer penalty

The Managing Director, Premier Seeds Nigeria Limited, Prof. Oyediji Ogungbile, The Governor of Kebbi State Sen. Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, the Minister of Agriculture, Chief Audu Ogbeh, and The DG NASC Dr. Olusegun Philps Ojo in a picture during a visit to the Premier Seeds Stand at the 2018  Seed Connect

In order to checkmate recycling of grains as improved seed, the All Farmers’ Association of Nigeria (AFAN) has condemned the activities of fake dealers who are fond of selling grains as seeds to its members just as the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh was advocating through a new bill a stiffer penalty that would checkmate merchants of ingenuine inputs in the sub sector.

The AFAN ably represented by Chief Daniel Okafor at the maiden edition of Seed- Connect posited that some dealers are fond of selling re-bag grains as seeds to farmers saying this has brought about his members’ skepticism with low patronage, and thereby creating huge gap in the use of improved seeds.

Chief Okafor disclosed that his visit across the country revealed farmers as not having access to quality seeds, and this he said has created a huge gap in the industry with rise in fake dealers “who buy grains from farmers and in turn sell them to farmers as seeds, and when planted they turn out to be worse than the ones preserved by the farmers

Meanwhile, the Agric minister, Chief Audu Ogbeh at the event has stated that the new bill for the seed industry would be stiffer on grains merchants saying the negative impact of fake seeds were huge on Nigerian agri-business and thereby pointed that adequate measures to protect the farmers would be put in place as soon as the President Buhari accent the bill.

Chief Ogbeh added that the new NASC bill would soon be available saying “ it is currently at the legal department of the National Assembly for final legal ratification before its final submission to the President”

The minister pointed that “anybody caught selling fake or adulterated seeds at the first instance will be fined 1 Million naira or be sent to jail for a year. When repeated, the offender will pay 2 million or go to jail for 2 years‎”

He stressed that the Federal Government (FG) is more concerned about using the “National Agricultural Seed Control Bill” to protect farmers’ interest pointing that many of the crops producer were not scientifically able to distinguish proper seeds from fake ones.

In his remarks, the Kebbi State Governor,Alhaji Abubakar Bagudu demanded that the government should do more to protect indigenous companies with favorable trade policies, while also tasked them to explore the partnership opportunity with foreign partners saying that “seed companies should partner with bigger and foreign seed companies for a win-win situation”

The Director General, National Agricultural Seed Council ( NASC), Dr Philip Ojo commended the effort of his agency  to ensure the country’s leadership in Africa “ supplying 70 per cent of hybrid seeds into the market” thereby stressed the need for more support to boost the sub sector.

Dr. Ojo said the seed industry in Nigeria has a lot of challenges, and therefore needs more attention which includes combating fake seed dealers, fund constraints, capacity building, improved infrastructure, quality control, inadequate logistics, low quality seeds from some Research Institutes, poor handling of breeder seeds, inadequate personnel, inadequate seed testing facilities, poor feedback from stakeholders, inadequate training of seed producers and the rest of others.

Also speaking, the Seed Associations of Nigeria (SEDAN) President Mr. Richard Olafare pleaded to farmers on behalf of his members thereby acknowledging the inefficiency in the system saying that the seed system is not yet perfect. He therefore enjoined the support of everyone towards sealing up the loop holes.