February 2, 2023
The 2022 TASAI Nigeria Country Report summarizes the findings of the TASAI study conducted in Nigeria in 2022 by the TASAI team and three local seed industry experts. The results highlight some positive developments since the last TASAI study in 2020. For maize, rice, sorghum, and soya bean, Nigeria’s formal seed system is in the growth stage of development. Yet, the seed sector is still facing stark challenges across many areas.
Under the research and development category, seed companies reported a high level of satisfaction with the availability of basic seed for the four crops. Seed companies sold more varieties of maize and rice (the two main crops in Nigeria) seed in 2021 than in 2019. In addition, there was an increase in the volume of seed sold after the lull of the COVID-19 pandemic. Demand for soya bean seed was driven by both the food and feed industries.
Under the industry competitiveness category, there was a significant increase from the 92 seed companies registered in 2019 to 177 that were registered in 2021. This increase signals increasing private sector interest in the seed industry. However, the increase was also partly driven by the perception that the government seed subsidy initiative (the Growth and Enhancement Support Scheme) was expected to be revived, creating a larger market for seed. Further, the volume of seed produced for maize and rice increased between 2019 and 2021. Additionally, most of the seed sales for the four crops were through agro-dealers, signaling a shift away from overdependence on the government and NGOs as the main buyers of seed.
The Seed Policy of 2021 provides further clarifications on the role of the National Agricultural Seed Council (NASC), liberalizes the production of basic seed, and encourages private-sector participation in various seed services. These new developments bode well for the seed industry. However, the seed policy environment in Nigeria lacks regulations to implement the NASC Act of 2019 and the Plant Variety Protection Act of 2022. Furthermore, there is an urgent need to provide clarity and structure to the variety release process. Another challenge is that, in its current form, the variety release process is costly and long, factors that may serve as a disincentive to the development of new varieties. Moreover, seed companies can only release varieties through mandated research institutions. This presents a conflict of interest on the part of the public entities, as they also produce varieties that compete with privately-owned varieties.
The performance of the Seed Entrepreneur’s Association (SEEDAN), as measured by satisfaction ratings by members, declined from “good’ at 60% in 2019 to “fair” at 56% in 2021. The members’ complaints over the years have not changed, and pertain to weaknesses in governance, inadequate efforts to mobilize resources, and insufficient efforts to engage in other important seed sector activities that could enhance its contribution to institutional support in Nigeria.
The NASC has increased the human resource capacity of its seed inspection from 60 seed inspectors in 2019 to 80 in 2021. This is part of the agency’s overall efforts to strengthen seed certification. In addition, the NASC is taking steps towards introducing third-party seed inspection services to complement the existing public inspection services. Despite these positive steps, there is still an urgent need to strengthen public inspection services to ensure that the various requirements for quality control are effectively implemented by seed companies.
Government investments in agricultural extension services are woefully inadequate. In addition, most of Nigeria’s active agro-dealers are not registered with the NASC, though this is required by law. These two challenges are partly being addressed by various donor-funded projects that are working with seed companies, the NASC, farmer groups, and cooperatives. However, these projects are limited in scope and scale, reflecting constraints to the provision of service to smallholder farmers.
The report was published following a successful dissemination meeting in Abuja, Nigeria on November 28, 2022, where findings were validated and discussed by members of Nigeria’s public and private seed sectors.
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