By Elizabeth Angira
Improved seeds can deliver state-of-the-art technology to farmers including higher yields, disease and pest resistance, climate change adaptation, improved nutrition, and longer shelf life.
Speaking during the Fifth African Conference of science journalist, The African Seed Access Index (TASAI) Mr Mainza Mugoya said that , they seeks to promote the creation and maintenance of enabling environments for competitive seed systems serving African smallholder farmers.
“TASAI measures, tracks, and compares enabling environments across time and space,” he said.
He said that there is persistent challenge of counterfeit seed but the new digital innovation emerging has increased surveillance of it.
According to him in Kenya use of the temper proof labels and increased surveillance of counterfeit seed increased the efforts of the government in fighting counterfeit seed.
Mr Mugoya said that there is increased and sustained satisfaction rating in fighting counterfeit seed from 50% in the year 2015 to 72% in 2017 and 2019.
Seed policy
Most of the countries have up to date policy instruments, seed policy, seed act, seed regulations and seed strategy.
Mr Mugoya said that implementation in many countries is hampered by lack of financial and human resources.
Burundi, Kenya and Mozambique have trained and accredited private seed inspectors to complement public inspectors in recent years.
“when fully operational private inspectors will carry out the bulk of seed inspection under close supervision of the public inspectors,” he said.
High and unpredictable cost of variety release in some countries
In well-functioning seed systems, the costs of releasing a variety should not be so high as to disincentivize variety releases
He said that very high costs & wide-ranging costs of variety release is in Ghana, Uganda and Nigeria, with USD Ghana10,000-53000, Nigeria 18000, Uganda 50,000_240000
He further said that stable and well-known cost of variety release are in Kenya and Tanzania, with Kenya USD 3000 and Tanzania 18000
According to him some countries are formalizing their variety release process by setting up the relevant Committees, outlining the steps and defining the procedures,process is still in its infancy – Mali, Rwanda, Burkina Faso
Elizabeth Angira is a trailblazing climate journalist whose work bridges science, policy, and human impact. As Senior Climate Reporter at The Mount Kenya Times, she leads in-depth coverage on climate resilience, energy innovation, and sustainability across East Africa and beyond. Her storytelling has earned international acclaim, including a third-place win for “The Best Energy Story in Foreign Media” by the Global Energy Association in Moscow.
Elizabeth’s portfolio reflects her commitment to excellence and advocacy:
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Mt Kenya Times