the Director General NASC in black cap, Dr. Philip Olusegun Ojo. and Mrs. Tolulope Mewase handling one of the portable machines |
As effort to boost
agricultural activities in the area of quality seed production and distribution
to the Nigerian farmers, the Federal Government (FG) has licensed 158 new seed
enterprises who are to commence production, while another 75 seed companies
were degraded for not meeting needed criteria to fully operate just as the
agency has acquired a digital molecular diagnosis testing facilities.
The
Director-General (DG) of the National Agricultural Seed Council (NASC), Dr
Philip Ojo, disclosed this to journalist at a press conference held in the
agency headquarters in Abuja recently saying that these new approvals were
given in addition to the 156 already existing licenses in operation, thereby
bringing the total number of the seed entrepreneurs in the country to three
hundred and fourteen.
Dr. Ojo gave
the breakdown of the enterprises as being made up of 4 large scale, 7 medium,
39 small, 233 producer sellers and 20 seed dealers added that the approval was
given by the chairman of the board, the Minister of Agriculture, Chief
Audu Ogbeh so as to checkmate the problem of inaccessibility and lack of quality
seeds.
Also unveiled
is the newly installed molecular diagnosis facility funded by the Build a
Sustainable Cassava Seeds System in Nigeria (BASICS), Bill and Melinda Gates (BMGF) project in
conjunction with the IITA Ibadan, while it was installed by FERA UK Science
Limited. The facility is meant to ensure that quality and diseased free
seedlings are made available to farmers across the country.
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