Sifelani Tsiko Senior Writer
Fake seed sold by unscrupulous traders is costing Africa millions of dollars in terms lost production output, seed expert say. Seed Trade Association of Kenya head, Dr Evans Sikinyi told journalists who attended the Second African Conference of Science Journalists recently that fake seed is hurting smallholder farmers across the continent.

“The peddling of fake seed is a serious problem in most African countries and between 20 and 40 percent of seed demanded in each country in Africa is fake,” he said.

“The selling of counterfeit or pirated seed varies from country to country and this problem is seriously undermining efforts to enhance food security among our smallholder farmers on the continent.”

The Media for Environment, Science, Health and Agriculture in Kenya (MESHA) hosted the conference with the support of other partners.

According to a 2014 Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) report, the total commercial seed market in Africa is estimated to be valued at US$1,1 billion, providing enough seed to cover roughly 10 percent of the African cultivated crop area.

The report states that maize accounts for around half of this, representing the largest seed market at around US$500 million, enough to plant around 25 percent of the crop area.

This report covers all aspects of the commercial seed market in 16 largest country markets in Africa examined in terms of their seed enabling environments (laws and processes), seed market sizes by crop, and private industry structure.

Roughly translated, Africa loses US$400 million a year in terms of counterfeit or pirated seed.

“It is very difficult for farmers to get compensation,” said Dr Sikinyi. “It is something African governments have to deal with seriously. Selling wrong varieties at the wrong place hurts smallholder farmers so much and we need stringent measures to combat this.”

Kenya’s seed industry is worth US$60 million and up to 40 percent of this value is lost to fake seed trade. Zimbabwe too, experiences problems related to the sale of fake seed.

Wheat accounts for around 13 percent of the total African seed market. No other crop accounts for more than 2-3 percent of the market, indicating the vast potential to increase the penetration of commercial seed, AGRA says.

South Africa is by far the largest seed market, valued at around US$450 million, followed by Egypt, Kenya, Morocco and Algeria.

Agricultural experts say there is a huge variation in the stage of development of the different seed markets in Africa, from those with no seed laws and hardly any commercial seed market, to those which are highly sophisticated, with local research and development capabilities for developing new locally adapted varieties.

The leading companies in the Africa seed market are DuPont Pioneer, Seed Co, Monsanto, Vilmorin, Syngenta, Technosem and Baddar. Many are in the process of increasing their presence in Africa.

AGRA further reveals that 80 percent small to medium sized African seed companies in 16 African countries are equipped to produce over 80 000 tonnes of professionally certified seeds in 2014.

Dr Sikinyi said Africa needs an effective seed certification system and harmonised seed laws to enhance seed production and the growth of the seed industry.

“Efforts to harmonise seed certification processes between countries at a regional level have been ongoing and have largely brought some benefits to participating countries,” he said.

However, he said, African countries needed to expedite the development and registration of new crop varieties suitable to African conditions to enhance production and improve food security on the continent.

Fake seed sold by unscrupulous traders is usually derived from grain and is sold in forged packaging.

This disadvantages farmers by providing poorly performing products.

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