The National Agricultural Seeds Council (NASC) has attributed the poor yield experienced by farmers to proliferation of adulterated seeds in the markets and lack of technical know-how on side of the farmers to identify genuine seeds from fake ones.
The NASC’s Director General, Mr. Philips Olusegun Ojo, announced this during an educational sensitization meeting with farmers on quality specification of goods held in Kano.
The NASC’s Seed Directorate Department, Mr. Agboda A. Adebayo who represented the NASC’s Director General, said that a lot of farmers are being left at the mercy of seed vendors that usually adulterate seeds, adding that the use of such seed is what is responsible for the poor yield being experienced by innocent farmers.
It was also revealed by the Director General that effective use of the seed bill recently signed into law by President Buhari to tackle the issue and save farmers from preventable losses will be ensured.
“The seed bill signed into law on June 24 by President Muhammadu Buhari has indeed improved major critical areas in the farming industry and also the enacted bill had given legal backing to the council to deal with issues of seed adulteration by people who were into faking of seeds.” He said.
The Public Relations Officer of the Association of Maize Farmers of Nigeria Kano Chapter, Malam Shuaibu Ahmed, who was also present at the meeting stated in his address that his association had already acquired certified seeds for distribution to its members as part of its internally adopted measures to boost its production.
SOURCE: AGRONIGERIA