The Alliance for Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) is working with the National Agricultural Seed Council to build the capacities of two Nigerian seed companies to provide 1,810 metric tonnes of Early Generation Seed (EGS) to improve farmers’ access to quality seeds in the country. Dr Kehinde Makinde, AGRA Country Representative, while speaking with Daily Trust during a stakeholders meeting in Abuja, said the organisation with support from USAID and other partners was providing $2 million grant to implement the project in Nigeria.

The title of the project is ‘Increasing Production and Dissemination of Quality Early Generation Seed to Improve Income and Food Security of Farmers in Nigeria’. The 36-month project is being implemented by a consortium of three members – Premier Seed Nigeria Limited, Value Seed Limited and the National Agricultural Seed Council (NASC) which is the country seed regulatory umpire.

The Director General of the National Agricultural Seed Council, Dr Philip Ojo and Dr Makinde of AGRA, stressed that the selection of the two seed companies was based on their capacity to produce breeder and foundation seeds, adding that not all seed companies have the technical know-how to produce the early generation seeds. They maintained that the two coys have the capacity and facilities for research and development and the reputation for production of quality certified seeds in the target crops. Under the project, the targeted three crops are maize,700mt, rice 650mt and soybean 460mt. The goal of the programme is to increase staple crops productivity for small holder farmers in Nigeria as well as improve seed quality and strengthen the nation’s seed system. Dr Ojo particularly stressed that the partnership has become very necessary because over time, production and dissemination of quality early generation seeds has been the major challenge for the seed industry in the country.

SOURCE:DAILY TRUST