By JIMOH BABATUNDE, Kampala, Uganda
The second bi-annual Seed Company dubbed the “10K Club” conference organised by the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) kicked off Tuesday (today) at the Lake Victoria Serena resorts, Kampala, Uganda.

The conference with the theme “Taking Seeds to African farmers through locally based Seed Companies” is coming against the backdrop of increasing demand for improved seeds on the continent.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, the Associate Director of the Program for Africa’s Seed Systems (PASS) of AGRA, George Bigirwa, said since inception that the body has been working to ensure smallholder farmers in Africa get quality seeds that best suits them.

He disclosed that the need to provide quality seeds led to the establishment of the Program for Africa’s Seed System (PASS) that provides higher yielding seeds farmers need not only to avoid food crisis in the continent but also improve their own lives and those of their children.

“The demand for improved seed in Africa annually remains unmet owing, not only to few seed companies in existence, but also due to the fact that most of the existing companies produce under 1,000 MT despite having the key inputs such as technical know-how, genetics , land modern seed processing facilities and government supports among others.”

Bigirwa said hosting the bi-annual Seed Company meeting is aimed to challenge the young and up and coming seed companies to grow 10,000 metric tonnes of annual seed production and sales.

Bigirwa noted that there has been impressive results from the first meeting held in Malawi in 2012 as two seed companies in Nigeria and Ethiopia have attained this tonnage.

Also speaking at the opening which has delegates from over 17 African countries where AGRA operates, the Joe DeVries, Director of PASS, explained that with the result being turned out by the seed companies that they are targeting 120,000 metric tonnes this year against the 81,000 seeds of the past years.

He said with PASS program that farmers have started seeing the impact of planting better seed as the program supports country level crop breeding teams who work closely with farmers to develop new varieties.

DeVries noted that with the success recorded last year by PASS that it has received funding from Dutch government to support seed development in South Sudan and from Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation among others.