Nigeria and The Netherlands have launched a four-year Collaborative Seed Programme (CSP) to sustainably address major challenges in the Nigerian seed sector. The program was launched on Wednesday virtually at an event organized by Sahel Consulting that brought together stakeholders in the Dutch and Nigerian seed sector to improve Nigeria’s seed sector performance.
It will contribute to the National Seed Roadmap vision making sure Nigerian smallholder farmers can access a sufficient, timely, and secure supply of quality seeds to enhance their productivity.
The Netherlands Ambassador to Nigeria, Harry Van Dijk said “The Netherlands have always engaged in partnerships in the agri-food sector and no one can attain food security in Nigeria alone.” He said further that “We need collaborations between entrepreneurs, governments, research institutions, and civil societies to attain food security. The Collaborative Seed Programme is the newest initiative under the umbrella of the Nigeria-Netherlands seed partnerships. He stated that working closely with Nigeria on the seed system will assist in enhancing the efforts to attain local demands for quality seeds for healthy and sustainable food security in the country.
He said that using high-quality seeds is an important step towards enhancing food production, stating that’s the main reason the Dutch government decides to invest in the CSP initiative.
The CSP initiative focuses on eight topics drawn from the 22 Strategic Innovation Pathways (SIPs) of the country’s national seed roadmap. It will involve training and capacity building for seed companies and other stakeholders in the value as well as knowledge transfer. The CSP partners are Nigerian seed companies, Sahel Consulting, Wageningen University &Research, Dutch seed companies, National Agricultural Seed Council (NASC), SEEDAN among others.
NASC and Sahel Consulting will regulate the program in Nigeria.
The Netherlands and other partners have provided the Nigerian government support since 2019, to explore opportunities in the horticulture and seed sectors. This support led to the joint development of the National Seed Roadmaps which formed the basis of the CSP initiative.
Nigeria Minister of agriculture Sabo Nanono, represented by the director at the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Karima Babangida said that the government is dedicated to promoting the agricultural sector by unleashing its abilities to enhance nutrition and food security, job creation, and economic diversification. The minister stressed that the seed sector is at the core of attaining the country’s agricultural sector targets.
“It is important that the CSP initiative seeks to address the key challenges in the seed sector with the overall goal to strengthen our seed systems,” Nanono said. “Quality seed is the fuel for agricultural development and availably of wide range varieties of quality seed is the key to attaining food security. “Today, I launch the CSP for the good of the Nigerian farmers,” he said.
He appreciated The Netherlands and its institutions for their continuous contribution to Nigeria’s seed sector, saying the ministry would continue to provide all the necessary support to improve the country’s seed system.
