Establish national seed authority now

Dr Gift Mugano

This week is the agricultural show week where the National Economic Consultative Forum (NECF) hosting dialogue under the theme titled enhancing agricultural productivity; managing climate change.

NECF’s theme is spot as it falls under the food and nutrition cluster of the Zimbabwe Agenda for Sustainable Socio Economic Transformation (ZIM-ASSET).

This week’s issue will focus on the need to establish the National Seed Authority which is a missing link in Zimbabwe’s quest in addressing agricultural productivity particularly in the face of rainfall variability as a result of climate change. In this issue, discussion of the background information of the Zimbabwe seed services, recent changes within the seed industry, problems facing the current seed services unit and possible resources for its establishment are explored.

The seed services unit was mooted by the Rhodesia Seed Maize Association in 1940 was the first association of its kind tasked with the multiplying open-pollinated maize seed.

By 1950, maize hybrids were initiated giving significant yields although only 22 percent of large scale farmers planted hybrid maize.

There was co-operation between government agricultural research stations and the Seed industry which led to structural changes to the Department of Research and Specialist Services (DR & SS) with significant contribution to strengthening of Research and Development of Tobacco, in 1950.

The Tobacco Branch was separated from DR&SS with Tobacco Research Responsibilities (Breeding), and was elevated to a parastatal called Tobacco Research Board (TRB). In the same year, Rhodesia Tobacco Seed Association was formed to venture into tobacco seed multiplication.

The need to diversify to seeds of other crops took toll in 1957 when the Crop Seeds Association was formed, specifically for multiplication of wheat, soyabeans and groundnut seed.

Subsequently, the same association also embraced sunflower, sorghum, millets, barley and bean seed production. If my memory still serves me well, there were around five seed houses.

In recent years there were a lot of changes both from the micro and macro perspectives. From the micro perspective, the radical restructuring of the agricultural sector following land reform came with mixed challenges for the development of the seed systems in Zimbabwe.

From macro perspectives, regionalism and multilateralism has not spared Zimbabwe. From the regional integration front, the harmonisation of Seed Policies across SADC and COMESA Regions is envisaged to integrate isolated national seed markets into regional market for seed.

This, in turn, will enhance entry in the Region of new improved varieties and ease the movement of quality seed from countries with surplus to countries in need of seed. Variations between countries in national standards for seed certification and quality control, and in quarantine and phytosanitary measures for seed, complicate trading of seed between countries and cause difficulties for efficient movement of seed.

As a result, new and existing seed entrepreneurs are not encouraged to invest in the market. Further, seed prices are not subject to efficient competition and farmers’ choices remain limited.

Harmonising seed policies and regulations will attract lower costs due to competition and simpler administration which will further encourage local, small-scale seed producers and suppliers to expand their activities.

The overall benefits will be increased investments in the seed sector, increased seed production, more varieties available, and increased competition.

In the end, farmers will be offered access to a wider portfolio of quality seed products at more affordable prices. For the region, this will contribute to seed and food security, and thus support efforts to alleviate hunger and poverty.

The implementation of the regional initiatives on harmonisation of seed policies is at national level. Hence all the regional initiatives calls for establishment of National Seeds Authority (NSA) for effective implementation and monitoring of compliance to seed quality standards for domestic and international trade.

However, from multilateral view, the growth in seed industry has equally met with advancing in seed technology which requires compliance to advanced quality control methods in order to certify seed according to the international trade standards.

However, it is with great concern to note that Seed Services is still using traditional methods of seed testing using obsolete equipment, which in this modern society leaves a lot to be desired. Institutional support has been aggravated by the fact that it is not given high priority and as a unit within the Department of Research and Specialist Services, it has been affected by the ever dwindling budget.

The international modern technologies in which the current state of Seed Services is inhibitory to its involvement but only limited to traditional methods are on Advanced Technologies, Bulking and Sampling, Flower Seed Testing, Forest Tree and Shrub Seed testing, Germination testing, GMO testing, Moisture testing, Nomenclature, Proficiency Test programme, Purity analysis, Rules of Procedures , Seed Health testing, Statistics, Seed Storage, Tetrazolium testing , Variety purity and Vigour testing.

These are done through International Seed Testing Association (ISTA) Technical Committees with the objective to develop, standardise and validate methods for sampling and testing of seed quality, using the best scientific knowledge available.

These tasks are subject-focused in Technical Committees where scientists, technicians and specialists from all over the world work closely together for the enhancement of seed testing methodologies.

The Technical Committees perform comparative studies and surveys in different research fields. They develop and enhance the ISTA ‘International Rules for Seed Testing’ and ISTA Handbooks on seed methods including sampling, testing and processing seeds, and are responsible for the organisation of Symposia, Seminars and Workshops. ISTA Technical Committees regularly hold workshops which provide a platform for the exchange of information, experience and ideas.

It is weak in terms of staff remuneration, incentives and vehicles for service delivery. In short, it is a weak institute leading an ever growing seed industry. Seed Services inspectors are mostly transported in client vehicles, hugely compromising on independent certification, thereby risking losing international accreditation once realised.

Since 2000, when the economy has been under sanctions, there has been limited support for meeting international obligations to keep accreditation and participate in new methods validations necessary to keep the seed industry advanced.

At this juncture, it is important as a country we need to capacitate institutions which are critical in attaining national goals. Many times, as always the case, the important institutions are always neglected in national planning yet they feed into the national outcomes. As in the demands of Food Security requirements as pronounced in the Zim Asset, we need seed to achieve that. Without seed there is no food security to talk about.

One of the critical inhibiting factors in establishing supporting institutions is the issue of availability of resources. In this case, the establishment of the National Seed Authority under Ministry of Agriculture should be an easy task for the Government of Zimbabwe. Initially, the Government can donate a building to house the Authority where there is a research farm to undertake variety purity monitoring and quality control trials.

One such building that could be donated and shared is the Agriculture Centre for Fertiliser Development (ACFD), in Pomona, which could form a starting point.

Currently, and in view of the harsh economic environment, the operations of Seed Services have been sustained by a revolving fund.

This fund was a result of services rendered to seed companies.

However, when restructured to an NSA, the funding for the implementation and operation of the System shall include, and not limited to contributions from the State (fiscus), fees payable by Stakeholders for any services rendered, any grants or donations made to the NSA for the purposes of the System, any other source of funding as may be determined by the Board of Directors including from levies already established (Tobacco Levy etc) and many more to be established and the NSA can establish a Revolving Fund which will act as a fallback position for its priority activities.

Dr Mugano is an Economic Advisor, Author and Expert in Trade and Competitiveness. He is a Research Associate of Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University. Feedback: +263 772 541 209 or [email protected]

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