Katsina Farmers Commend Agricultural Seeds Council On Improved Varieties – New Nigerian Newspaper

Seed farmers in Katsina State  have commended the efforts put in place by the National Agricultural Seed Council (NASC) in ensuring farmers have good and quality seed for the farming programme.

Speaking at the field day programme organized by NASC at Kanan Haki village in Faskari Local Government Area of Katsina State at the weekend, the state chairman Maize Farmer Alhsji Bello ABUBAKAR Annur made the commendation .

He said farmers day has given them the opportunity to have knowledge of knowing the correct and quality seed during farming season.

Annur advised farmers to always buy their seeds at the approved seed company to avoid buying adulterated seeds.

According to him with the current steps taken by the government in arresting the situation of adulterated seed in circulation is a welcome development.

Earlier in his address, the Zonal Director, National Agricultural Seed Council (NASC) North-West, Ubandoma Hudu Mohammed has assured farmers of their council’s commitment towards ensuring high quality improved seeds with genetic purity was produced by the seed companies before selling their products to farmers.

Ubadoma said the council has introduced high quality seeds that are striga free and draught tolerance that will benefit grassroots farmers.

He said, NASC is the regulatory agency saddled with the responsibility of certification of any kind of seeds produced by the seed companies in accordance with the fulfillment of the Nigerian Seed Law.

According to him, Nigeria will be sustainable, attain economic development, self-efficient and agricultural dependent if seed companies produce highly improved seeds that will boost agricultural production.

Government has inaugurated a strong committee to go round the markets and  seized all adulterated seeds already in circulation.

Ubandoma explained further that, previous materials used is giving problems to farmers because they have no knowledge of climate change, striges tolerance and draught tolerance as well as when to start farming.
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In North West Zone there are 88 registered seed companies while about 20 seed companies are waiting  registration.

The field day is organized in collaboration of NASC, MAAN and SEEDAN it was successfully conducted.

Katsina Farmers Commend Agricultural Seed Council On Improved Varieties

National Agricultural Seeds Council inaugurates Seed Inspectors in Kano

The National Agricultural Seeds Council on Monday in Kano inaugurated seed inspectors to rid and sanitise the seed industry of fake and adulterated products.

The Director-General of NASC, Dr. Phillip Olusegun Ojo, who inaugurated the inspectors urged them to arrest and prosecute anybody or organisations that contravened any of the subsisting laws.

Ojo said the inspectors would help in sanitising the industry and carrying out regular sensitisation of stakeholders to reposition the industry.

He said the council had directed its seed law enforcement officers nationwide to commence full scale surveillance and enforcement of the provisions of the seed act.

Anyone, organisation or agency who engages in any seed related activity without proper recourse to the act will be arrested and made to face the full wrath of the law.

It is expected that the inspectors will bring the required sanity to the seed industry and make quality seeds and seedlings available to the teeming farmers that will translate it into higher yields and income, he said.

He said six inspectors were selected from each of the six zones of the country to head the monitoring groups.

On his part, the Minister of Agriculture, Chief Audu Ogbeh, said quality seed was paramount to enhancing agricultural productivity, adding that it contributed more than 50 per cent of increased crop productivity per unit area.

This government through seed council has over the years engaged in regulating the activities of seed producing entities aimed at ensuring that enough quantities of improved quality seeds are available for farmers use, he said.

Ogbeh said the seed inspectorate unit would help in repositioning the country’s seed industry.

He however, warned fake and adulterated seed dealers that it was no longer business as usual.

According to him, the authority will not hesitate to deal with those who continue to sabotage the efforts of government toward food security.

The Minister also warned henceforth that the federal government would arrest and prosecute owners of companies that sell fake and sub-standard seeds to farmers.