Review and Validation Meeting of the NASC Strategic and Operational Plan for the Nigeria Seed Industry, held at Chelsea Hotel, Central Business District, Abuja on September 11, 2019

NASC has presented stakeholders with a 5 year Strategic Plan Document which it wants to use in revitalizing the seed sub-sector in Nigeria.

Seed which is the foundation of agriculture has been a major challenge the Nigeria agricultural sector is facing, as fake and uncertified seeds are visible in the open market.

Dr. Phillip Ojo, DG NASC while addressing stakeholders at the Review and Validation workshop, said the document aims at strengthening the capacity of the Council to discharge its responsibilities in coordinating and regulating the Nigeria Seed industry.

The DG mentioned that the journey started about 5months ago, with the support of AGRA and USAID under the Partnership for Inclusive Agricultural Transformation in Africa (PIATA). NASC commissioned Sahel Consulting Agriculture & Nutrition Limited to develop a five-year institutional strategic plan aimed at providing the strategic direction for NASC.

Addressing stakeholders at the workshop, the DG said the review and validation of the document is to ensure that the strategic plan aligns with the Green Alternative, which carries hope and aspiration of Nigeria farmers to take the seed sector to the next level.

One of the participants at the workshop and representative of the Nigeria Economic Summit Group (NESG), Dolapo Enejo noted that the strategic plan document would be leveraging on technology and digitization to ensure that smallholder farmers are carried along.