The federal government and major players in the agricultural sector have launched a crackdown on breeders, wholesalers, and retailers involved in the sale of substandard seeds.
According to them, seed security is fundamental to achieving food security, stressing that fraudulent dealers often deceive farmers into purchasing seeds they claim are high grade, but which in reality are inferior.
Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Abdullahi Sabi, speaking on Tuesday in Abuja while hosting the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Evaluation Mission Team, warned that Nigeria cannot achieve food sufficiency with poor-quality seeds despite heavy investment in the sector.
“If we must guarantee food security, farmers must have access to quality and affordable seeds at all times. That is the reason behind this initiative,” Sabi said.
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He added that Nigeria is eager to strengthen global collaboration, noting that the country’s current yield gap is troubling.
“We believe we can do better. Sometimes, the failure to meet our yield potential is because what farmers plant as seeds are not truly seeds, and even when they are, their quality is questionable.”
Director-General of the National Agricultural Seeds Council (NASC), Fatuhu Mohammed, also vowed to end the malpractice, noting that the circulation of fake seeds has cost Nigeria millions of dollars in lost food production.
He lamented that, unlike countries such as the United States and Israel, where seed councils are regarded as vital national institutions, Nigeria has failed to give its council the same priority.
“In the U.S., the seed council is considered a national asset. In Israel, they do not joke with seed quality. Unfortunately, here we take it lightly,” he said.
Mohammed disclosed that weekly inspections will be carried out across the six zones of the country to prevent adulterated seeds from reaching farmers. The monitoring exercise, he said, will involve agro ranchers, 36 state coordinators, and operatives of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).
He further urged the public to report anyone selling fake seeds, stressing that the campaign requires collective responsibility.
“We are strengthening compliance monitoring and enforcement. If you see someone trading fake seeds and fail to alert security agencies, you are not only harming yourself but also the country,” he said.
