FG licenses 158 seed enterprises, unveils molecular diagnosis facility

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.