To get best harvest use certified seeds

Duncan Ochieng’ Onduu, the executive officer at Seed Trade Association of Kenya. He says stakeholders are working in reviewing the National Seed Policy and ensure it gets to Parliament and implemented to boost the seed sector. PHOTO | BRIAN OKINDA | NMG

What you need to know:

  • Seed production process goes through different stages such as inspection, testing, analysis and certification from Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Services (Kephis).
  • While certified seeds are deemed expensive, they give higher yield returns compared to farmer-saved seeds whose yields are slightly lower.
  • Some seed dealers may sometimes overlook activating the seeds released into the market into our certification system.
  • STAK and other involved stakeholders are working in reviewing the National Seed Policy and ensure it gets to Parliament and is implemented.

Duncan Ochieng’ Onduu is the executive officer at Seed Trade Association of Kenya. He talks to Seeds of Gold’s Brian Okinda about the importance of using certified seeds and developments in the seed sector

1. Due to climate change, the weather has become unpredictable such that areas that used to get ample rainfall no longer get it, while months in which rains were traditionally expected especially in the planting calendar are varying. What are you doing to keep up with these changes to ensure there are seeds for farmers throughout?

Seed companies are working together with research institutions to facilitate production of seed varieties that are early maturing, drought tolerant and those that are suited for different ecological zones in the country to ensure crops are planted in these different zones regardless of weather conditions.

Farmers have thus been sensitised through seed companies and agrodealers countrywide to be able to identify different varieties and how to cultivate them.

Seed Trade Association of Kenya (STAK) also has a seeds platform called MbeguChoice where farmers can get all the important details they require on different seed varieties, their availability, and different ecological conditions they are suited for.

2. Competition in the seed sector is high as new players venture into business. Why is it that seed prices still remain high even with the increase in supply?

Seed production process goes through different stages such as inspection, testing, analysis and certification from Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Services (Kephis).

All these require expenses from seed producers and hence the high prices farmers incur.

However, STAK and Kephis have come up with the concept of Authorisation Process whereby we train private seed inspectors to facilitate these processes marginally lowering the costs of seed production and eventually slightly lowering prices for seeds.

3. Some farmers use farmer-saved seeds during planting, what is your take on this?

While certified seeds are deemed expensive, they give higher yield returns compared to farmer-saved seeds whose yields are slightly lower.

It is hence more sensible to use certified seeds, but then this ultimately depends on the farmers’ attitudes and beliefs towards the seeds and their financial capabilities.

We at STAK, however, recommend and promote using certified seeds.

4. Fake seeds pose challenges to farmers and despite adoption of technology by seed companies to fight them, they somehow seem to persist. What could be the reason of this?

Whenever there’s a new technology, even when it shows overall good results, there are always challenges in its adoption.

These challenges could be in farmers disregarding the seed certification security markers, since they believe they can trust the seed company’s branding on the package, without realising that fake-seed merchants have mustered the art of producing near-genuine fake imitations.

This gives the fake-seed dealers a loophole to advance their activities.

Some seed dealers may sometimes overlook activating the seeds released into the market into our certification system.

In this case, the sticker scratched by the farmer to get feedback on seeds they purchase becomes invalid hence not recognised by our systems and this mix-up gives the fake-seed dealers another loophole.

5. What advances have you as an organisation made in the production of maize seeds resistant to the notorious Maize Lethal Necrosis Disease (MLND) which for long has been a pain to farmers and also seeds that are resilient to pests like the ravenous fall armyworm, among other crops cultivation challenges?

Different seed companies are working on varied trials to address these challenges. Three of our partner seed companies have developed maize varieties resistant to MLND.

There are also others working on developing varieties that have a repulsive effect on fall armyworms whereby the armyworms will find the crops grown from these seeds unpalatable.

Conversely, more innovative concepts are ongoing to fully address these challenges that encumber farmers.

However, good agronomical practices should additionally be observed to facilitate controlling fall armyworms.

6. Currently, how sufficient is the country in providing seeds for its farmers especially with the approaching maize planting season?
The country has enough seeds for planting this coming planting season. The fall armyworm outbreak may have ravaged some seed maize production farms, but this has no major effect on the availability of seeds in the country.

7. Other than low productivity from the farm, what are other serious repercussions of farmers using fake seeds?

Farmers will need to cultivate more land to ensure enough yields and this requires huge swathes of land which unfortunately is diminishing currently.

They will also spend more in acquiring other inputs such as fertiliser and nutrients just to boost their yields.

8. With the prevailing climatic conditions among other challenges, what measures should farmers take to ensure effective germination and development of seeds they plant?

Measures such as using right spacing in crop cultivation, proper farm layout, right fertiliser application, intercropping, crop rotation; which introduces nutrients into the soil, proper agronomical practices and generally good crop husbandry will ensure effective seed germination and development.

9. What efforts has STAK put in place to ensure farmers do not fall prey to merchants of fake uncertified seeds?

We are creating awareness on values of using certified seeds through varied media such as vernacular radio stations, posters, fliers, and also agrodealers countrywide.

We also have employed SMS-based technologies for farmers to verify seeds they buy.

We work with Kephis to facilitate field monitoring visits to ensure certified seeds are used and ensure fake-seed dealers are arrested and punished.

10. What are efforts put in place to boost the seed sector in the country?

STAK and other involved stakeholders are working in reviewing the National Seed Policy and ensure it gets to Parliament and is implemented.

This policy will address emerging issues such as fall armyworm menace, MLND, climate change and facilitate funding for seed researches.

All these will eventually boost the seed sector.