The Director General, National Agricultural Seed Council (NASC) Dr. Philip Ojo has expressed worry over the rate of substandard Vegetable Seeds in circulation across the country due to lack of seed codex on products.
Ojo while speaking in Abuja at a workshop for seed stakeholders noted seeds without codex is not tested and lack quality control and as such should not be sold.
The Director Seed Inspectorate, NASC, Agboola Adebayo represented Ojo at the event explained that most of the vegetable seeds particularly the so-called seeds from Netherlands, Germany does not carry codex or added at random.
“When we go out for enforcement, what we discover is that most of the vegetable seeds displayed for sale in Nigeria does not carry seed codex
“The implication is that seed council has no knowledge of the seed because if your seed does not carry codex, the meaning is that you have not drawn sample, not tested and the quality stated at the back of the package has not been affirmed by the council which is the only authority to affirm its quality before display or offered for sale.
“What we notice is that most of the vegetable seeds particularly the so-called seeds from Netherlands, Germany most of them doesn’t carry codex”.
Ojo added that most of the vegetable seeds also lack adequate specifications such as lab testing, and validation test result and as such should be confiscated.
“What we notice again is that most of the vegetable seeds you offer for sale you don’t state clearly the specifications of the seed.
Your seed must carry codex, but what we notice is that there will be purity percentage, germination percentage, but no date lab testing which signifies the expiry date and I know it is a very smart way of doing business.
“So in most cases when we see things like that and we don’t see date lab tested , the question that comes to mind is do you have a validation test result, if there is nothing like like that you find out that your seed will carry codex but we still confiscate”.
Meanwhile, the Director, Seed Inspectorate Department, National Agricultural Seed Council, Agboola Adebayo disclosed that over 30-40 million naira worth of substandard Vegetable Seeds has been destroyed by the council.
“If I want to be conservative, up to date, the vegetable seeds that we have seized and destroy when quantified monetarily, should not be less than 30-40 million Naira, because they were substandard and because they did not comply with the packaging rules and some were confiscated because of wrong information at the back of the packaging material, so when sumed up you will be looking at 30-40 million naira”.
Adebayo added that the vegetable seed ranges from tomato, pepper, melon, cabbage, carrot, onion and a host of others that were imported into the country to be marketed to Nigerian farmers but were not package as specified by law.
He however noted that compliance to regulations on codex is in place but more still needs to be done
“we have started seeing improvements from our outings because we have seen a lot of compliance regime that is making us happy in the council but we know that there is still room for improvement but we are escalating our sensitization through town hall meeting, jingles with various stakeholders so that this information will trickle down to the grassroots and people that are to know this carry this along.