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IITA, NASC train seed entrepreneurs, launch seed quality self-compliance reporting module

By ORKULA SHAAGEE, Abuja –

As part of measures to ensure that cassava seed entrepreneurs report on quality of seed produce, the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and National Agricultural Seed Council (NASC) and Catholic Relief Services under Building an Economically Sustainable Integrated Cassava Seed Systems in Nigeria (BASICS) project, have launched seed quality self-compliance reporting module.

Speaking at the launch in Abuja on Wednesday, Director General of NASC, Dr. Phil Ojo said with the growing population of over 220 million Nigerians there is need to invest in innovation that will help boost agricultural produce.

Dr. Ojo, who was represented at the occasion by the Director of Seed Certification, Dr. Khalid Ishiak, said NASC has collaborated with stakeholders to ensure quality seeds get to all farmers in the country.

Earlier, Head of Germplasm Health Unit and Virologist, IITA, Lava Kumar said the launch of the new module was to enhance the establishment of a sustainable and profitable customer seed enterprises in Nigeria.

Kumar, who spoke on the topic: “Leveraging Digital Technology for Seed Quality Assurance and Improved Access to Quality Seed”, said the goal of the project was to integrate cassava seed value chain with an intention to deliver high quality seed of improved cassava varieties.

“We have identified 30 seed entrepreneurs to train to pilot the scheme, to learn how things work at the ground level and these 30 cassava seed entrepreneurs who have been producing cassava seed for the last five years.

“The piloting is a first experiment to understand how things work, take the feedback from the farmers and also take feedback from the regulators then make adjustments and refine the two and implement fully,” Kumar said.

Also speaking, Mr. Musa Dunga of the Catholic Relief Services, said that step down will conduct on field to augment CSE capacity to adopt self compliance module.

Speaking virtually at the launch, BASICS Project Manager (Consultant) Professor Lateef Sanni, said some of the old cassava seeds are no longer yielding good seed and a lot of people are now looking for quality seeds, prompting the need for such training to scale up yields to meet demands.

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