High-quality seeds are fundamental for any country striving to achieve self-sufficiency in food production. JULIANA AGBO, writes.
The Nigeria’s seed system, like those in many developing nations, faces numerous challenges, especially in delivering high-quality seed varieties for staple crops such as rice, maize, cassava, sorghum, millet, and cowpea.
This deficiency in formal seed varieties has serious implications for agricultural productivity, directly affecting farmers’ livelihoods, overall food production, and national food security.
Despite several interventions over the years, the inability of the system to supply adequate high-quality seeds has hindered its capacity to boost the agricultural sector.
Different institutions were created to manage the various functions in the seed value chain with varying degrees of success. Since 1987, the National Agricultural Seeds Council has been responsible for the regulation and certification of seed quality.
The National Agricultural Research Institutions, like various research institutes, are responsible for generating breeding products to address farmer demand and the quality of seeds. Private enterprise, with the required investment capacity and technology, is expected to package, market, and distribute the seed. Seed Enterprise Associations have also assumed the functions of aggregating smallholders’ demands and have been organized to regulate seed prices.
In Nigeria, as around the globe, modern seeds that embody improved genetic quality are fundamental sources of contribution towards ensuring timely access to improved technology by farmers. These previous empirical contributions suggest that smallholder African farmers who acquire modern seeds are more likely to increase, diversify, and intensify cultivated crops and their economic surplus from participating in rural factor and product markets.
This impact seems to be greater the more modern seed is complemented by investments in complementary inputs, infrastructure, as well as output markets. This finding is not surprising given that most African farming systems are characterized by such high levels of productivity-increasing opportunities.
These opportunities can take the form of marginal returns to modern seed being higher relative to crop management and output market transactions. Given that the rural factor and product markets interact with complex historical and structural constraints, completing the seamless process of seed production, dissemination, and realisation of the associated agronomic and social benefits in Nigeria has been an elusive goal. We are especially concerned with Nigeria because the country has the largest African economy, largest population, and is the continent’s largest importer of food.
Although seed systems have been recognised as a critical factor in delivering new and improved crop varieties to small and marginal farmers, particularly in the developing world, there is still relatively little attention given to policy concerning seed systems in the public domain.
The fact that there is not a very high profile may be because many countries have established their own national seed institutes that are often responsible for producing and distributing seeds, and the need for national self-sufficiency means that the large majority of supported varieties are locally produced. This, in turn, seems to suggest that the role of national programs is critical in maintaining a dependable supply of high-quality seeds.
However, despite the apparent relevance of these programs, budget and staff constraints limit the ability of national institutes to supply required quantities, making small farmers the ones bearing most of the production risk.
Coupled with declining national public funding, seed companies have increasingly entered the agriculture seed industry. However, these private firms are less likely to produce varieties specifically suitable for small farmers due to, among other reasons, difficult targeting and distribution in remote areas and problems with the sales structure in these small villages. Moreover, some studies suggest that even if private firms opt to supply specific varieties.
Seed is a vital input in agriculture. An efficient seed system is important in increasing agricultural production and productivity.
The advancement of the agriculture sector significantly depends on research, development, and effective management of the seed system in developing countries. Farmers require quality seed in sufficient quantities at affordable prices. A quality seed should have inward qualities: genetic purity, high physical purity, freedom from seed-borne diseases, germination percentage, and seed vigor, which should result in high and stable crop yields.
Seed acts as a catalyst in increasing crop production. The use of quality seed can result in a 20 percent increase in crop yield over farm-saved seed. About 50 to 60 percent of total productivity increases are attributable to seed technology, with the other 40 percent being due to other inputs such as water, fertiliser, and agrochemicals. The seed cannot reach maximum crop yields without proper irrigation, soil fertility, and best management practices.
The availability of quality seed is a major constraint to improved seed usage. In many developing countries, including Nigeria, the quality of seed is a critical factor that influences agricultural productivity and food security. Despite agriculture being largely based on farm-saved seed, the share of the market for quality seed from breeding companies is growing rapidly because of the increasing importance of better and new varieties, the demand for marketable agricultural products, and the need for more sustainable agricultural systems.
In contrast, the lack of availability of quality seed to the farmer has a direct and irreversible impact on agricultural productivity and crop yield. The seed sustains the livelihood of the people who depend on agriculture and has been directly connected to food security. There lies a significant potential for increasing the use of quality seed, which can increase agricultural productivity. Farmers are business people and will not invest in seed technology unless there is a positive rate of return, since farmers are profit motivated. The agriculture sector in developing countries is seeing increased commercial involvement in agriculture, especially in the inputs. Seeding technology would be a potential area that could attract farmers investing resources. The current supply of quality seeds is not meeting the demand, and farmers are faced with considerable obstacles to access the seed they need. Small seed companies and NGOs can help to close this gap. The efforts of the African Agricultural Technology Foundation in formalizing the seed sector in the country is therefore worthy of commendation.
Three years ago, AATF established ECOBAsic Seed Limited as a strategic step in assisting Nigeria address the teething challenges associated with issues of quality seed and non-availability of seed to farmers when they needed it.
While it is too early to start reeling out the impact the company has had since 2021, it is worth noting that its contribution to the Nigeria seed sector is gradually being felt by farmers