Seed experts, traders and producers from 17 West African countries are concluding their meeting today in Abuja with a common position to strengthen seed systems and space in the sub-region.
The three day event, which was organized by CORAF- a key technical partner of Economy Community of West African State (ECOWAS), assessed the state of implementation of regional seed regulation.
ECOWAS appointed CORAF in 2013 to facilitate and coordinate the implementation of harmonised regional regulation for the seeds and seedlings in member states.
The executive Director of CORAF, Dr Abdou Teckouano said the “harmonised laws and regulations provide the right conditions for promoting seed production and quality control. they provide the basis for healthy competition between seed companies, promote the free movement of seeds across borders and provide farmers with access to high-quality seeds.”
In his remarks, the Agri-input Specialist at CORAF, Dr Yacouba Diallo stated that a strong and dynamic seed industry is the key to real Agricultural transformation.
“In West Africa, farmers are increasingly turning to improved variety of seeds to increase their productivity, something that deserves to be encouraged and also to facilitate farmers access to better quality seed,” he said.
Participants observed that although there was a consensus that significant progress has been made on the strengthening the regional seed industry, many obstacles need to be overcome, including the duration of the registration of new seed varieties, effective transfer of certain prerogatives to the private sector, certain obstacles to cross-border trade in seeds, and the circulation of seeds of dubious quality.
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