From Okwe Obi, Abuja
Worried by the poor agricultural yields mostly caused by low seed quality, the Federal Government and key stakeholders in the agricultural industry have declared war on breeders, wholesalers and retailers trading in it.
The battle against counterfeits is fuelled by the belief that seed security is key to food security.
The government explained that dishonest dealers trick unsuspecting farmers into buying seeds they claim are of high quality, when in reality the grains are substandard.
The Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Abdullahi Sabi, noted that the country would not be able to feed itself with poor-quality seeds despite investing heavily in it.
Sabi, who spoke when he hosted the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Evaluation Mission Team yesterday in Abuja, said: “If we are to guarantee our food security, the main farmers must and should have access to affordable quality seed at all times. And to achieve this is why this scheme is put into place.
“And Nigeria is more than happy to be part of this ecosystem. Obviously, the standard interest will be that we are interested in high yield. Our current yield gap as a country is worrisome.
“We believe we can do better. And sometimes the challenges of not meeting the current high yield or meeting the yield capacity might be due to the fact that what is being planted, called seed, is not necessarily seed. But even where it is seed, also, there are things that constitute.”
Also, Director-General, National Agricultural Seeds Council (NASC), Fatuhu Mohammed, vowed that it would not be business as usual, as the insidious practice had cost the country millions of dollars in terms of food production.
He noted that Nigeria pays lip service when it comes to the seed council, saying that countries like the United States and Israel take their seed councils seriously.
“When you go outside the country, the way they respect the seed council and the impact the seed councils have made internationally is more than what we have locally here.
“When you go to the United States, the seed council is a no-flying zone. It is a national asset. When you go to Israel, they do not joke with the seed council. Seed is very important. We just take it lightly here.”
He disclosed that there would be weekly monitoring of seeds across the zones to ensure that adulterated seeds do not get into the market.
Also, he pointed out that the exercise would be conducted by agro ranchers, the 36 coordinators, and personnel of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).
He encouraged the public to speak up and report sellers of fake seeds, adding that the fight was a collective one.
“We are still trying to strengthen our compliance monitoring enforcement data. That is what we are still trying to work on. We will work with agro ranchers and the NSCDC to see how we can go for weekly monitoring.
“We have six zones in the country and we have almost 36 coordinators in the country. This is something very difficult to handle and I believe we should work as a team. It is a collective effort of everybody to secure the country.
“If you see anybody selling fake seeds and you do not call the attention of the security, you’re not helping yourself and the country,”, he said.
Aside from the monitoring measures, he announced the introduction of a new strategic plan for 2025–2029 to overhaul the country’s seed industry through digitalisation, stronger quality control, and long-term financial sustainability.
During the validation exercise in Abuja, Mohammed explained that the initiative would reposition the sector to be a transparent regulator and to tackle persistent challenges in the seed system while advancing food security.
He pointed out that milestones such as the passage of the Plant Variety Protection Act and the piloting of third-party seed certification schemes would revamp the sector.
He said: “This plan is not starting from scratch; it builds on the progress of our last strategic cycle.
“By reflecting honestly, we identified gaps that must be closed. Our approach now rests on three essentials: a digital-first NASC, uncompromising quality and innovation, and a financially viable seed sector.”
He disclosed that recent audits exposed shortcomings in digital integration, sustainable financing, and partnership structures.
Mohammed explained that the document remains a draft, urging participants to provide input to strengthen it further.
“Your feedback is crucial. Ask us, does this plan go far enough? Is it realistic? How do we translate it into real impact?”
He reminded the participants that the seed defines the harvest, stating that “Our task is heavy, but the chance to shape Nigeria’s agricultural future is even greater.
“This strategic plan is to give us a roadmap to achieve the food security we are facing in Nigeria. When you talk of food security, you are talking about seed security. When there is no seed security, there is no food security. That tiny thing you are seeing is the foundation of food security.
“If you do not have good seeds your yield will be very poor. Almost 65% of the farmers plant grains and not seeds. And that is the challenge we are facing. This government has made tremendous efforts to bridge that gap. And we are working on plans now.
“In the next two to three weeks, the President has given approval for intervention on how we can support private companies with premium seeds.
“As you know, seed is very sensitive so we have to be very careful. I believe with this strategic plan we can achieve our aims and objectives. With this funding, just give us 90 days, you will see the results on the ground.
“We will not give the funding to briefcase companies. I will not listen to them. I will work with genuine companies that have been working in this country and are yearning for this support. I will not listen to anybody that will send any company to me.”
On how farmers can identify fake seeds, he said every seed has a seed codex, saying that buyers should scratch it, send a text, and all the details of the seed including the breeder would appear.
He said: “We have what we call seed codex. Any certified genuine seeds will have a seed codex label. You just have to scratch it, send a text, it will give you the details of the seed, including the address of the breeder of that seed.”
A Development Expert at Propcom said the agency would join forces with the government to weed out fake seed sellers.
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