By Nana Yaw Prekoh
Copyright ghanaguardian
Deputy Minister for Food and Agriculture, John Dumelo, has called for intensified utilisation of certified seeds across the West African subregion and the Sahel, in the regions’ pursuit for food self-sufficiency.
According to him, the utilization rate of certified seeds remains disappointingly low throughout Africa, particularly in West Africa and the Sahel, as current statistics indicate that only 10-20% of farmers in the region use certified seeds, compared to over 95% in developed agricultural economies.
This gap, he underscored, represents not just lost potential, but millions of people who continue to face food insecurity despite having the solutions within reach.
Government, he assured, stands ready to support harmonized seed regulations across the region with the aim of certifying locally produced seeds and seedlings, ensuring higher quality and boosting agricultural productivity.
The Deputy Minister made these remarks at the 10th ordinary meeting of the Regional Committee on Seeds and Seedlings of West Africa and the Sahel (CRSPAO) scheduled between 15 and 17 September in Accra.
Deputy Agric Minister, John Dumelo (middle), says government is ready to support harmonised seed regulations across West Africa.
Dumelo also bemoaned that although commendable progress has been made since the adoption of harmonized seed regulations in 2018, the implementation pace has varied significantly across countries, adding that while some nations have made remarkable strides in establishing robust seed systems, others are still in the nascent stages.
“This disparity in implementation speed underscores the need for continued political sensitization and sustained advocacy at the highest levels of government. We must intensify efforts to ensure that harmonized seed regulations are not merely documents on shelves but living instruments that facilitate seed trade, promote quality assurance, and enhance farmer access to improved varieties”, he stated.
The representative of the ECOWAS Commissioner for Economic Affairs and Agriculture, Dr Emmanuel Glé stated that: “The role of the Harmonized Regional Seed Regulation is very clear, as it facilitates the trade of seeds in West Africa and the Sahel and thus contributes to the increase in the volume of certified seeds marketed in our countries.”
For his part, the Executive Director of CORAF Dr. Moumini Savadogo intimated that “the multiplication of seeds remains insufficient to cover our needs, certification systems are still malfunctioning, and above all, trade barriers continue to hinder the free movement of seeds between our countries”, and that there was need for innovative solutions and renewed political will in addressing these challenges.
In its capacity as the Permanent Secretariat of the CRSPAO, CORAF will continue, with the support of its technical and financial partners, its coordination efforts to ensure effective implementation of harmonized regulations and accelerate producers’ access to quality seeds.
John Dumelo (middle) in a pose with representatives from ECOWAS, UEMOA, CILSS and other stakeholders.
The 10th ordinary meeting of the CRSPAO is organised by CORAF – a non-governmental organization (NGO) – in collaboration with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA) and the Inter-State Committee for Drought Control in the Sahel (CILSS).
This year’s session will, as its main objective, review the implementation of the recommendations from the 9th session, held in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, in 2024, and to assess the progress made by ECOWAS-UEMOA-CILSS member countries in implementing harmonized regional seed regulations.
