September 6, 2023
The report summarizes the key findings of the study conducted by TASAI in 2022 to appraise the structure and economic performance of South Sudan’s formal seed sector. This is the first TASAI study conducted in the country. TASAI studies focus on the four grain and legume crops important to a country’s food and nutritional security (the “four focus crops”). In South Sudan, these crops are maize, sorghum, cowpea, and groundnut.
Under the research and development category, breeding programs at the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (MAFS) do not conduct breeding research but concentrate on adaptive trials of superior varieties that have already been released in neighboring countries. While this provides access to new varieties for the time being, in the long run, the goal should be to develop local variety development programs.
Under the industry competitiveness category, seed production and marketing are not adequately regulated in South Sudan. As a result, accurate data for these activities is difficult to find, which in turn makes assessing the competitiveness of the formal seed system challenging. Despite these constraints, a key finding is the relatively low level of competition among the 14 active seed companies that are recognized and registered by the government. Of the 11 companies that were surveyed, the top four companies for each crop are quite dominant, accounting for 94% of sorghum seed sales and 100% of cowpea seed sales. An important feature of the country’s seed industry is the outsized presence of non-governmental and international organizations, which accounted for more than 60% of aggregate company sales for maize, cowpea, and groundnut seed in 2021. NGOs and international organizations are key buyers of seed, accounting for more than 60% of aggregate company sales for maize, cowpea, and groundnut seed in 2021. While NGOs play an important role in the sector right now, it is important to note that they may interfere with the development of the private-sector-led seed industry.
South Sudan’s seed policy and regulatory framework are virtually nonexistent, presenting a major weakness in the seed sector. A promising development is that the MAFS, in collaboration with other stakeholders, has started drafting the key seed policy instruments. The enactment of the Seed and Plant Varieties Provisional Order and the passing of the regulations will go a long way toward formalizing the key elements of the seed sector.
Two positive developments may be noted under institutional support. The first is the active presence of the national Seed Trade Association of South Sudan (STASS), which is engaged in the development of the seed sector in the country. STASS has developed networks with its counterparts in the neighboring countries and is a member of the Africa Seed Trade Association (AFSTA). The second positive finding is that, even in the absence of a seed law, the MAFS has hired and deployed 15 public seed inspectors. In addition, the MAFS has also trained 39 other inspectors who have been deployed to seed companies. Although they are not yet authorized to carry out inspections, they can be helpful to jump-start private inspection services once the seed bill has passed.
Several challenges are noted under the category of service to smallholder farmers. First, the government’s agricultural extension services are inadequate due to insufficient funding both at the level of the MAFS and the County Agricultural Departments. Second, the number of registered and active agro-dealers is extremely low. These two challenges significantly hinder the effectiveness of the last-mile seed distribution systems.
The report was published following a successful dissemination meeting held in Juba, South Sudan on April 27, 2023, where findings were validated and discussed by members of South Sudan’s public and private seed sectors.
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