Agric Seeds Council warns over fake product, urges companies to register

In line with its commitment to offer quality seeds products to farmers, the National Agricultural Seeds Council (NASC), has warned all the seed producers against distribution of fake products (seeds). The agency also urged local and foreign operators to register their companies or face the consequences of non-compliance.

The Director General of NASC, Dr. Olusegun Ojo who gave the warning at Ogunpa during a road show of its Oyo zone in Ibadan on Tuesday, said that, the crop seed to be imported must be registered and released with distinct descriptor from the country of origin.

According to Dr. Ojo, “the Seed Council must be notified on the arrival of imported seeds for necessary quality assurance checks and also, the importing companies must have registered with NASC. As for the sanctions, the first offenders have to pay N800,000 or serve a jail term of six months.”

“If the person was arrested at the second time, he will also be fined 1.6million or go to jail for two years,” Ojo stated. “We have approved 157 seeds companies of different categories, four life scale, nine medium scale, about 67 small scale and the others are accreditation sellers, that is how far we have gone,” he said.

“The registration is so important,” Ojo continued, saying that, “because if you don’t get it right, farmers will get a very bad productivity. “That is what NASC doesn’t want. So, it is extremely important that they must get it right.” In its efforts to sanitise the seed industry, Ojo disclosed, “NASC has shut down three seed (erring) companies, it is so important that they must get it right. And if they don’t get it right, or won’t work,” they will be disallowed.

He explained that NASC has “a committee that makes sure it is done very well. We don’t discipline companies” simply based on reports, “but we actually go down and ensure that what was said about them are right.” Ojo said further that NASC has seeds law enforcement agents that are efficient. “All companies, whether foreign or local, are registered under NASC. Business must be accredited by the Council, Ojo stated.”

According to Ojo, “whoever wants to bring seed into the country must be approved by the council. We have a seed policy, it been very effective.” NASC, he noted, has also built a market-driven seed industry for production and distribution of high quality and improved planting materials that are available, accessible and affordable to all farmers.

The President of West Agro Input Dealers Association (WAIDA), Alhaji Olayinka Akinmade, however, said that the challenge of his group is from the seed producers. Akinmade pointed out that “the Seed Council are doing their best to ensure we get high quality seed but it doesn’t appear as if there is much opportunity to monitor what the seed producers bring into the market.” for example, in cases of dirty seeds.

According to him, few of the operators are doing well. “When you go to the market and buy seed and there is no good monitoring, there will be bad seed. So the challenge in seed is that you keep them dry and away from chemicals and fertiliser, so that you don’t destroy their germination and survival ability and others.”

Akinmade explained that his group has limited power since they are not seed producers.

On the storage of their products, “all our members have warehouses. Apart from the ones we keep in shops, we also keep the seed in warehouse,” he explained, adding that NASC has been helping the seed sellers. He urged NASC “to support the seed producer, educate them, and give them fund.” With good funding, “they can easily detect seed that will get into the market and the one that must not get there.” he explained.