Minister asks NASC, seed stakeholders to implement PVP effectively

The Minister, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD) Alhaji Sabo Nanono has urged all the involving Government agencies like National Agricultural Seeds Council (NASC) and private organizations to ensure proactive implementation of the Plant Variety Protection (PVP) bill newly signed into an act by President Mohammadu Buhari.

 

Nanono said this at the event held last week in Abuja to unveil the action plans on how the act would be effectively deplore to enhance agricultural productivity with effective implementation.

The minister called on NASC, government institutions, private individuals and organizations to effectively comply to the rules and regulation of the Act in  implementation, stressed this is when the aim and purpose act would make an effective impact on commercial food production.

Also, he noted that effective implementation of the Act would enhance the development of superior plant varieties with high yield potential pointed this is critical to food security in the country.

Nanono urged NASC and players in the food and agricultural seeds ecosystem to ensure that the critical aspects of the bill is implemented, saying “we are always good in making laws but when it comes to implementation that is where the problem lies. So, it is very important that the seed protection Act is diligently followed and implemented. And on regular basis, we should engage all the stakeholders in this business to discuss and review what has happened in the past and strategize on what is going to happen in the future”

NASC Director General (DG) Dr. Philip Ojo while addressing the media said the PVP act is very strategic to food security and agriculture transformation saying that the accented bill by the president would incentivize national and multinational agribusiness investment in the country towards wealth and more job creation. 

Ojo said that “NASC has commenced actions to set up a functional PVP office to receive and process applications for the granting of PVP rights in Nigeria from anywhere in the world. We are also working to develop supporting regulations that will help implement the Act. We will begin to see on our farmer’s field superior yielding, stress-tolerant, disease-resistant, climate-smart, and input efficient varieties which will be introduced by innovative breeders both from the public and the private sector in few years to come’’

 Speaking on behalf of the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG), Mr. Laoye Jaiyeola, Ms. Gloria Ekpo emphasized the need for resilient seeds regulations through catalytic investment into the sub-sector adding there is a need to tackle high-level insecurity for sustainable and inclusive seed system  towards agricultural development in the country.

Ekpo said that  "There is no doubt that the implementation of the Plant Variety Protection Act will assist to better position Nigeria to feed her growing population and equally attract foreign investments into the Seed sub-sector as well as enjoy the gains of intra- and inter-border trade opportunities in seed trade and export’’

She said the PVP would proffer a solution to the hunger affecting huge numbers of Nigerians saying that   “Indeed, hunger has been on the rise for several years in Nigeria and with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, affordability, availability, and accessibility to nutritious foods are increasingly becoming difficult for 52 million food-insecure Nigerians. It is our belief that plant breeders and farmers can offer solutions to these challenges of food insecurity. But, in order to succeed, they need the right tools and that requires us to reorient food systems so that the plant breeders and farmers are given opportunities to thrive and to be fairly rewarded for the work they do.

“With increased incomes and profits among small-scale farmers and plant breeders, their businesses are invested back into local economies, where they create jobs and equitable growth. This is crucial for creating opportunities for rural youth and to live and thrive in their various communities.

Furthermore, as we intentionally integrate digitization into the seed-subsector processes, service delivery will be improved for small-scale farmers, interactive digital extension sessions and user-friendly mobile applications can be facilitated and He said PVP is an intellectual-property protection law that helps encourage plant breeders and other stakeholders in the agriculture industry by granting them intellectual property right over their material’’ said she.

The sponsor of the bill, chairman, House committee on colleges of Agriculture Hon. Munir Danagudi (Kano) said that the importance of the plant variety act can not be overemphasized as Nigeria is still threatened by poor yields, soil degradation, emerging and traditional pest diseases, adding unveiling PVP was a milestone achievement for the country as it would unlock competitiveness within the agri-food ecosystem with appropriate demand forecast.

The president of the All Farmers Association (AFAN) Arch. Ibrahim Kabiru  said that the PVP act  has given scientists legal right to release their invented materials to farmers for increased production of food, saying  "PVP  gives copyright to the researchers and  breeders to  so they will now gladly give out their materials for use. This is a welcome development to having good seeds which is the bedrock of agriculture and prosperity for farmers’’