Presentation by Daniel Otunge, African Agricultural Technology Foundation, Nairobi Delivered at the B4FA Media Dialogue Workshop, Ibadan, Nigeria - September 2012 www.b4fa.org

1. Seed Trade Environment in Nigeria
By Daniel Otunge
OFAB Coordinator
d.otunge@aatf-africa.org
B4FA’s Media Fellowship Programme,
NIGERIA (September 24-27, 2012)

2. What is AATF?
• The African Agricultural Technology
Foundation (AATF) was set up in 2003 to
facilitate transfer of proprietary technologies
to smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa.

3. AATF Projects
 AATF Projects include:
 WEMA
 Nitrogen & Water Efficient and Drought tolerant Rice (NEWEST)
 Striga Control in maize
 Aflatoxin control (Aflasafe)
 Virus resistant bananas;
 Cassava
 Bt. Cowpea
 OFAB

4. About Open Forum on Agricultural
Biotechnology
• This is a platform for sharing credible, factual and
balanced information on modern biotechnology with a
view to impacting policy making process.
• Started by AATF in 2006 in Nairobi
Dr. Noah Wekesa, former
Minister for Science
& Technology, KENYA, opening
OFAB in 2006

5. OFAB Chapters
AATF
OFAB
Ghana: CSIR
OFAB
Uganda: UNCST
OFAB
Tanzania: COSTECH
OFAB
Nigeria: NABDA
OFAB Burkina:
INERA
OFAB
Kenya: ISAAA

6. SEED TRADE IN NIGERIA

7. Seed systems linkages
• Linkages between institutions involved in the Nigeria Seed Sector
• NASC: National Agricultural Seeds Council
• NAES: National Agricultural Extension Service
• NVRR: National Variety Release & Registration Committee
Federal
ministries
NASC
NVRR
C
NAES
NARC,
NARIs, Varsities,
companies
SEED COMPANIES
Farmers
Credit/
Banks
Input
supplier
s
NGOs Farmers
Consumers

8. The Role of farmers
 Informal seed sector dominates the system.
 About 85% are farmer-saved grains
 This varies from state to state
 Farmers dislike ‘Agric’ seeds
 Federal and state governments attempts some control
 Leads to distorted market system

9. Role of national institutes
Nigeria has 36 Institutions under the Agricultural Research
Council of Nigeria (ARCN) that produce most of the breeder’s
seed and foundation seeds.
But four of these are vital:
 Institute for Agricultural Research (IAR) (maize, cotton, cowpea,
sorghum, sunflower, etc)
 National Cereals Research Institute (NCRI) (Rice, Soybean,
Sugarcane)
 Lake Chad Agricultural Research Institute (LCARI) (millet,
wheat, barley, chickpeas etc.)
 National Root Crops Research Institute (Cassava, yam etc.)

10. Role of national institutes
National Biotechnology Development Agency
NABDA is a specialized agency established by the federal
government in 2001 to coordinate, promote and regulate the
development of biotechnology in the country
It is currently working on 5 crops:
 Bt. cowpea,
 Cassava
 Bt-maize,
 Bt-cotton,
 Bio-fortified sorghum

11. Ghana Seed Schemes
Breeder’s
Seed
NARC, Varsities,
companies
Foundation
Seed
NASC
Certified
Seed
• Companies
• Individuals
Standard
Seed
Farmers
State agencies: research, certification and release
FARMERS
Production/Market linkages

12. Role of research institutes
Key challenges include:
• Inadequate funding: Research unfunded
• Brain drain: Poor pay
• Poor infrastructure: Human and institutional
• Poor project planning: Deployment often left out
• Donor dependency: Incomplete projects
• Bad governance: Graft

13. Role of Universities
 Nigeria has a number of specialized universities that play
significant roles in development and production of seeds.
 Examples include:
 University of Agriculture, Makurdi
 University of Agriculture, Abeokuta
 Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike

14. Role of Seed Companies
• Nigeria has about local 100 registered seed that play a
significant role in supply of quality seeds to farmers
• Serious ones like Premier seed are controlled by powerful
individuals
 There is low presence of multinationals like in Nigeria
 There is fear of multinationals

15. Role of CGIAR
 The CG centers also play important roles in seed production process.
 Most relevant ones include:
 International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA)
 International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT )
 International Maize and Wheat Research Center (CIMMYT)
 International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and
 Africa Rice Center (WARDA)
 International Potato Center (CIP)
Prof. Mohamed Ishiyaku:
Principal investigator, Bt Cowpea

16. Role of regional organizations
These provide funding for research, technology transfer and also
facilitate better regulatory environment
 NEPAD centers of excellence
 CORAF/WECARD (West & Central African Council for
Agricultural Research & Development)
 ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States)
 AGRA (Alliance for the Green Revolution in Africa)
 AATF
 FARA (Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa)

17. SEED REGULATORY ENVIRONMENT

18. Seed regulation in Nigeria
• Nigeria has policies, rules, regulations and laws, which
govern seed breeding standards, seed variety testing,
variety release, seed promotion, dissemination,
marketing, quality control, conflict resolution, import
and export.
• Varieties are release through the National Variety
Registration and Release Committee.
• The committee should assist in promotion of newly
released varieties

19. Seed regulation in Nigeria
The following are the key regulatory documents journalists
should read to understand the regulatory situation:
 National Agricultural Seeds Decree (No 72 of 1992): obsolete
 National Agricultural Seeds Act (new)
 National Harmonized Seed Rules and Regulations
 Nigerian Minimum Seed Certification Standards
 Seed Certification Manual
 Seed Testing manual
 Seed Law Enforcement Manual
 Biosafety Law: Still awaiting presidential assent!
The new body to implement the act is:
 National Agricultural Seeds Council of Nigeria (NASC) under the
Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development

20. Regulatory environment
There is need to guard against bad governance of the seed sector if
it is to flourish
Overregulation:

21. Use of other inputs
Use of other inputs like fertilizer is still very low in Nigeria :
 Inputs are very expensive due to taxes
 Not availability,
 Poverty
Hence interventions by:
– Seed companies,
– Relief agencies,
– Governments (e.g. e-pocket fertilizer 50:50)
– NGOs (e.g. AGRA, IFDC)
– Churches

22. HOW SEEDS REACH FARMERS

23. Role of seed companies
 The seed companies in Nigeria are increasingly becoming the
central players in production and distribution of seeds to
farmers.
 They reach farmers through:
 Agro-dealer networks
 Demonstration plots
 Sales and marketing agents
 Promotion (not adequately done)
 Media
 Farmer field days
 Exhibitions
Companies have failed to play above roles effectively, leading to lack of
awareness of availability and benefits of certified quality seeds.

24. Role of extension service:
• Government extension staff are responsible for agriculture
extension
• However, generally the extension service is:
 Ineffective
 inefficient
 Underfunded
 Understaffed
 Corrupt (stories of staff using motorcycles for private business)

25. Role of information:
Sources of information on new seed varieties include:
 Seed companies The mass media
 agro-dealers,
 NGOs
 Extension service
 Use of ICTs
 Farmer associations
 Exhibitions

26. Farmer level promotion
This is mainly done by:
 Seed companies (sales agents)
 Industry association (SEEDAN)
 Traditional meetings
 Demo farms
 Farmer field schools
 IEC materials, etc
 Extension service
 Farmer Groups (e.g. All Farmers Association of Nigeria)
 NGOs, (AATF, AGRA, ISAAA, World Vision, Action Aid, Oxfarm, among
others)
(SEEDAN: Seed Development Association of Nigeria)

27. Role of AFSTA:
 The African Seed Trade Association is an industry body formed
to promote trade in quality seeds and innovative agricultural
technologies
 It has about 26 National Seed Trade Associations and 70
member seed companies spread across Africa.
 In Ghana it operates through SEEDAN.
 Main programs include: ASIESA, WASA,COMRAP and Biotech
awareness.

28. Role of AFSTA:
 The national associations partner with government
departments and seed companies to create channels through
which farmers can access seeds more easily.
 Organizes annual congress where farmers get information at
exhibition booths.
Congress: 5-8 March 2013

29. Role of AGRA:
 The AGRA’s Program for African’s
Seed Systems (PASS) is perhaps the
most ambitious and well coordinator
effort to improve supply of seeds to
farmers in Africa.
 PASS aims to increase Africa’s
capacity to breed, produce and
deploy quality seeds to farmers
Dr Joe Dvries, PASS Director

30. THE STATUS OF PLANT INTELLECTUAL
PROPERTY RIGHTS (IPRS) IN
Nigeria

31. What is IPR
• IPRs are legal instruments used to protect creations of the
mind which have commercial value, such as inventions, e.g. the
Gene Gun.
• They grant exclusive rights to the breeder against unauthorized
access
• New plant varieties are protected under:
 TRIPS (Trade-Related Aspects of IPRs) Agreement
 UPOV (International Convention for the Protection of New Varieties of
Plants
 ARIPO (African Regional Intellectual Property Organization) .

32. IPRs
• Few countries in the sub-region protect Plant Breeder’s
Rights.
• This has negative impacts on availability of quality
breeder’s seeds.

33. Nigeria IPRs situation
• In Nigeria the Patent and Designs Act,
Chapter 344 of 1990 prescribes products
eligible for patent right.
• Section 1, Sub-section (4) excludes plant or
animal varieties from patenting

34. Nigeria IPRs situation
• Reforms are under way: the Intellectual Property
Commission Bill (IPCOM) that is fully compatible with
the TRIPS Agreement has been presented to the
National Assembly for debate.
• It is critical to protect breeder’s rights if plant breeding
in Nigeria is to go a notch higher and be able to satisfy
national needs.

35. Challenges facing adoption of improved seeds
The following are some of the major challenges facing the seed
systems in Nigeria:
 Lack of awareness of new seeds and their benefits
 Negative attitudes towards ‘agric’ seeds
 Weak seed market systems
 Moribund extension service
 Weak enforcement of regulations
 Counterfeiting
 Subsistence mentality
 Mistrust of seed companies by farmers

36. THANK YOU
www.aatf-africa.org
www.ofabafrica.org