Regional seed policy to enhance agricultural productivity

The assistant commissioner in charge of seed inspection and certification at the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF), Dr Mary Teddy Asio has said the East African seed policy that is being developed is set to enhance agricultural productivity for cereals in the region.

“In Uganda we have the seed policy, a regulatory framework that is helping us, we are working to improve the policies that will help us to share seeds across the regions, we have the COMESA countries that have already harmonised a policy on seed and its working very well, right now seed produced in Zambia, Mozambique and Malawi can come to Uganda easily because the testing time is shortened and it will make it cheaper” she said.

Ms Asio made the remarks during the closure of the third general assembly and regional stakeholders meeting for upscaling the benefits of push-pull technology for sustainable agricultural intensification in East Africa (UPSCALE) held in Entebbe on Thursday.

“Producers of seed can come to Uganda and produce that seed at a low cost within a short time, that’s what we are missing within the East African Community that has made an attempt to produce a policy for seed in East Africa but it’s still underway, its yet to be completed” she said.

According to her, IGAD countries are developing a seed policy as the countries continue to use the international seed policy where seed companies are helped to import seed from those countries.
“These policies will enable the certification and release of the seed that isn’t yet here so that we can easily acquire it from other countries” she said.

Mr Benjamin Mbooka, a senior lecturer at Maseno University in Kenya said when adopted, the policy will address challenges of seed transfer from other countries and dissemination of information to small scale farmers especially in the Push pull technology.
“You cannot just transfer seed without observing the required protocols of respective countries, when this is harmonised in East and Central Africa, then it becomes very easy to adopt the Push Pull technology in an expansive manner” he said.

Mr Mbooka added, “If we can deal with striga, fall army worm, cure the moisture capacity of our soil then agro productivity in terms of cereals, vegetables will definitely be enhanced, this requires a deliberate effort to reach the community”.
The program leader for rice and maize research at NARO Dr Jimmy Lamwo said the Push pull technology which is being piloted in different East African states has been found widely successful.

“Innovative technology development where many disciplines are working together and you get the best out of it doesn’t only reduce costs but it helps in getting the best and most efficient technology, as NARO we are looking into adopting Push Pull technology when we are rolling out other technology varieties that are tolerant to stresses to help reach our targets faster and in a timely efficient way” he said.