By Samuel
The National Agricultural Seed Council (NASC) in collaboration with Bill and Melinda Gate Foundation, and Content Global Development, has launched a platform to track the adoption of improved seed varieties and their returns, through genotype fingerprinting.
Tagged “Institutionalizing Monitoring of Crop Variety Adoption Using Genotyping programme” (IMAGE), the platform will measure the rate of improved seed adoption, by farmers. It will also ensure variety monitoring and reporting, for the adopted seeds.
NASC Director-General, Philip Ojo, who revealed this recently at the launch, noted that the project will span five years. According to him, the project formation process took off in Kenya, in 2019.
For this project, Nigeria selected four seeds; rice, maize, cassava and cowpea, AgroNigeria gathered.
According to Ojo, the project will champion a paradigm shift “from our traditional and largely inaccurate methodology for measuring farmer adoption of improved variety and how varieties turnover through time.”
He explained that the platform will make for more accurate monitoring and reportage of seed performance.
According to him, adopting the system will help farmers and the nation in general, seeing that previous manual monitoring efforts had yielded no results.
The project, he added, will make for an improved policy formation system for seeds utilisation in Nigeria.
He said, “Over time, studies of improved seed adoption in Nigeria are almost based on household surveys and are premised on the assumption that a farmer can accurately self-report their use of improved seed varieties.
“However, many studies have shown that farmers’ report of seed varieties planted, or whether the seed is improved or local are sometimes inconsistent with the DNA fingerprinting results of these varieties.
“You would agree with me, that misidentification of seed varieties or type could have several implications for both adoption of improved technology, for planting, for Policy formulation for food security and also for regulatory activities.”
He assured of the NASC’s support for the project, calling on others present to do the same.
He projected that the adoption of the system will make for stakeholder coordination, capacity building and total varietal development in Nigeria.
Other partners for IMAGE include International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre, Excellence in Breeding Platform, International Food Policy Research Institute, among others.
By Samuel
The National Agricultural Seed Council (NASC) has revealed that it impounded substandard seeds from various sources during its routine seed inspection recently in Abuja.
The Council said it seized the seeds from the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Agricultural Development Programme (ADP) FADAMA and other local seed dealers.
According to the Director-General, NASC, Dr Philip Ojo, FCT ADP-FADAMA did not conform with the government’s Seed Act.
The other local dealers, he said, had in their possession, expired, fake or uncertified seeds, hence the confiscation.
Ojo maintained that despite the position of FCT ADP-FADAMA as a Federal Agency, the confiscated seeds and its perpetrators will be handled accordingly.
He said, “It is very easy to handle, as it was confiscated I told them I was going to write formally to their programme manager.
“It is hoped that when the Council makes a formal writing to the programme manager, there is going to be an internal re-digging exercise that will take place there.
“I am sure they would not want their names to be dragged in the mud so definitely ADP will do the needful if not we have to look at option B which is to charge them to court, no one is greater than Nigeria law.
“The seeds we have seized now are going to be aggregated at the headquarters, when we finish the Abuja zone we are going to other zones all the six geo-political zones after we must have aggregated all the seeds at our annual ceremony which is called feed day and seed fair.”
The DG also stated that the move will serve as a deterrent to others possessing substandard seeds.
“The seeds will be publicly burned in the presence of government dignitaries and traditional leaders so as to serve as a warning to all those we have confiscated the seeds from, none of these seeds will be released to anyone,” he said.
He further warned charlatans who were in the business of trading such seeds to desist from the act.
The law will run its full course if they continue peddling substandard seeds, he added.
By Vincent A.Yusuf
The National Agricultural Seeds Council, NASC, has said that about 81,000 metric tons of certified seeds of rice, maize, sorghum, soyabean, cowpea, millet, groundnut, wheat, sesame and potato are ready for deployment and purchase by farmers across the country. The Director General, of NASC, Dr Phillip Ojo stated this in a zoom – virtual conference – interview with journalists. He said the agency was doing all within its reach to ensure that seed sector related activities are sustained and promoted even in the midst of the pandemic. He called on the state governments to give seeds as palliative to smallholder farmers.
“Today as I speak with you, the industry have available at the disposal of accredited seed companies across the country about 81,000 metric tons of certified seeds of rice, maize, sorghum, soyabean, cowpea, millet, groundnut, wheat, sesame and potato that are ready for deployment and purchase by farmers for the production of food and raw materials for Nigerians,” he said.
He lamented that going back to the field for seed sector operatives has become a challenge as the measures put in place to stop the spread of the virus are impacting negatively on the activities of the sector. Loading.. Copy video url Play / Pause Mute / Unmute Report a problem Language Mox Player “The urgent need to replace depleted food stock as a result of the massive purchase and consumption is now starring us all in the face and we can only achieve this using high quality seeds.
“To ensure that we clearly understand the challenges and impact of the COVID-19 on the seed sector, the NASC together with Wageningen University and Sahel Consulting introduced a survey (quick scan survey) commencing from the month of April to access first-hand the impact of COVID -19 on the seed sector,” he said. According to the DG, the scan highlighted key areas of alert that are mostly impacted by the COVID-19 and also recommended coping strategies to guide future actions to ensure continue supply of quality seeds to farmers.
He also expressed sadness that the COVID-19 government measures to curtail the spread has “negatively impacted on the movement of seed companies and farmers to point of sales/agro-dealers, to informal markets. He said it has also negatively impacted on the the production and supply of early generation seed and more importantly the quality assurance activities including seed field inspection and Laboratory testing.
By Samuel
The National Agricultural Seeds Council (NASC) has assured farmers of access to about 81, 000 metric tonnes of certified seeds for the 2020 planting season.
Director General of NASC, Dr Philip Ojo, made the disclosure while speaking to journalists on Wednesday during a virtual media briefing held on Zoom.
Ojo during the briefing explained that the Council was doing its best towards ensuring that seed activities are sustained and promoted amid efforts to contain the spread of novel coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic in the country.
“The industry is preparing to push 81, 000 of certified seeds which include rice, maize, sorghum, soya bean, cowpea, millet, groundnut, wheat, sesame, and potato, to the market and companies as farmers prepare for the planting season,” he said.
This, Ojo added, was in a bid to produce adequate quantities of seeds for the next cropping season.
He further explained that the seeds were ready for deployment and purchase by farmers for the production of food and raw materials across the country
Ojo also reiterated the need to address the current reduction in food stocks.
“The urgent need to replace depleted food stock as a result of the massive purchase and consumption is now staring us in the face and we can only achieve this using high- quality seeds,” he noted.
The NASC chief further explained that his agency would be working with relevant stakeholders to implement various coping actions which will help the sector to continue to function amid the Covid-19 crisis.
He said, “Planned actions to ensure farmers have access to seeds include: One, structuring the trade of seed and agro-inputs in designated markets and on specific days while complying with social distancing directions of relevant agencies of government at both local, state and federal levels by using a decentralized model for organizing the markets that allows quality seed and agro-inputs to be transported close to farmers, and thus reduce the distance that farmers need to travel to access inputs.
“Two, create seed sector task forces at federal, state, and local government levels to review regularly the interstate movement of essential agricultural goods and services and provide guidance on measures to be taken to responsible authorities.
“Also, to advocate and raise awareness to ensure that the services and business of seed companies and agro-input dealers are designated as essential with a view to communicating their role as essential to food security and the national economy widely through all traditional and social media platforms.”
The NASC boss also lauded the Honorable Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Alhaji Sabo Nanono, for his efforts towards instating the task force to oversee movement of agricultural produces amist lockdown directives across the states.
“We commend the efforts of our Honourable Minister of Agriculture towards ensuring that agricultural stakeholders can move about to conduct their businesses without hindrances.
“With the support of the law enforcement agencies, this ministerial intervention will help the agribusiness community greatly,” he said
By AgroNigeria
The National Agricultural Seeds Council (NASC) has pledged its continuous commitment towards serving Nigerian farmers by offering them the best genetics and varieties of seeds this year.
The Director-General (DG) of NASC, Dr. Philip Ojo, gave the assurance during the visit of the newly appointed permanent secretary of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr Muazu Abdulkadir, to the council’s headquarters in Sheda, Abuja.
Ojo assured that NASC is doing its best to make sure that Nigerian farmers get the right to use the purest genetics and varieties of seeds in order to boost agricultural productivity.
The DG said that this year would be a bright one for many activities to take place in the agricultural sector, adding that the council would do its best for help farmers ensure high yields.
In his remark, Abdulkadir praised the council for its brilliant innovations and achievements.