The National Agricultural Seed Council and other stakeholders in the seed sector around the world on Monday, converged for the fifth edition of the Seed Connect Africa 2022 conference and exhibition in Abuja.

The two days event organised by the National Agricultural Seed Council in collaboration with other partners, focuses on identifying and implementing strategies and solutions for sustainability in face of growing crisis, pandemic and challenges of climate change in the seed industry.

Seed Connect Africa conference/exhibition is the largest gathering of seed industry stakeholders in Africa yearly, that creates and provide a platform for seed networking between different countries while availing farmers a one on one interactional opportunities with seed companies.

Speaking, the Director General of NASC, Dr. Philip Ojo opined that the importance of SeedConnect Africa cannot be overemphasized as it brings together seed industry stakeholders from all over the world to discuss and deliberate on issues and topics of mutual benefits to seed system.

Ojo revealed that the SeedConnect Africa over the years gave way to the introduction of the Plant Variety Protection (PVP Act 2021) Law in Nigeria, a journey which according to him started fully in 2018 shortly after the first edition.

“I am happy to announce today, that Nigeria has a PVP Act and we are making efforts to complete the Nigerian membership of the International Union of Protection of New Plant Variety.

“We are currently doing a lot to operationalize this law, we have begun the process of setting up the PVP office, and currently we have a draft regulation that was reviewed and validated by experts.

“With our collaboration with the Nigerian Securities and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), we have been able to scale up seed market surveillance and enforcement of standards because we need to sanitize the Nigerian seed industry”, he noted.

Also contributing, the Head of Building Sustainable Seed System for Cassava (BASIC II), Professor Lateef Sanni disclosed that poor funding of the Agricultural Development Program (ADP) has weakened the extension advisory services for seed.

Professor Sanni who is also a Professor of Food Science and Technology stated that investment in extension advisory services will enhance the proper usage of seeds which will further enhance agricultural productivity.

“If you look at what World Bank did by setting up state Agricultural Development Program (ADP). They were the best tool to actually extend some of these technologies and best practices to farmers at the rural level.

“But unfortunately, we keep on reducing the funding to ADPs. For instance, we have about 1000 seed producers but for us to reach them, we have to make use of some of the ADPs and some private NGOs.

“So, the combination of those public and private extension advisory support is very important to reach millions of farmers, because it is one thing for you to plant high yielding disease resistant seed and it is another thing for you to use good agronomic practices or six steps in weed management.

“So, investment in extension advisory services is a key principle factor to enhancing our agricultural productivity as a nation”, he stated.

He however called on the Nigerian government to invest in agricultural Universities to have a seed technical hub, which he said will enhance the development of the country’s seed system.