Africa Focuses on Better Seeds; Nigeria Banks on China’s Biofuel Consumption

The Southern African Development Community (SADC) has bolstered its agriculture infrastructure with the formation of its Seed Center, formed to offer more varieties at a more favorable price point.

The center comes on line at a time when governments and agriculture NGOs are prioritizing access and adoption of better seed technologies among small shareholders.

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Last week, Kofi Annan told the Financial Times that the lack of access and adoption to better seeds were the main deterrent to better yields in Africa. Annan, the former secretary general of the United Nations, is chairman for an Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), which is encouraging national governments to allow the private sector more ownership of seed distribution networks.

SADC’s Seed Center, located at the SADC Plant Genetic Resource Center in Lusaka, Zambia, is financially supported by the Swedish Development Co-operation and USAID. One of the center’s core goals is to coordinated the implementation of a Harmonized Seed Regulatory System, so African nations can realize the benefits of new hybrid seeds, including ones that are drought-tolerant and better suited for regional soil profiles.

The SADC’s Harmonized Seed Regulatory System conducts seed quality and certification trials to speed the distribution once regulatory approval is achieved in respective countries.

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Source: Published reports, edited by David Frabotta, editor

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