PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Marie K. Thompson
DATE: December 30, 2004
Working in Collaboration with IFDC and FAO, WAEMU Plants
the Seeds of a Regional Seed Law
Lome, Togo, December 30, 2004—A regional workshop was held in
Lome during November 25-26, 2004, to review and validate two
technical reports that will serve as building blocks for harmonizing
seed laws and regulations governing seed marketing within the West
African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU). This workshop was the
second of a series of meetings initiated under WAEMU’s leadership
with funding support from the IFDC Managing Inputs Regionally (MIR)
project and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United
Nations (FAO). MIR is funded by the Netherlands Ministry for
Development Cooperation (DGIS). The German Agency for Technical
Cooperation (GTZ), the African Seed Trade Association (AFSTA) and
the West Africa Seed Network (WASNET) are technical collaborators in
this endeavor.
The first workshop was held in Dakar in January 2004 to develop a
consensus for harmonizing seed regulatory frameworks throughout West
Africa. The main output of the Dakar workshop included a consensus
on the priority areas for the regional regulatory framework, a list
of priority crop species (groundnut, cowpea, rice, maize, millet,
sorghum, onion, tomato, yam, cassava, and potato), and the roadmap
for achieving the objectives established for each of the areas. The
two agreed-upon priority areas for the regional seed regulatory
framework relates to publishing a common catalog of varieties that
can be sold throughout West Africa and adopting regional legislation
governing quality control and the certification of seeds.
The Lome workshop attracted 20 experts from national research
institutions, seed catalogs and control and certification services
representing the eight WAEMU member states: Benin, Burkina Faso,
Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Niger, Senegal and Togo. The two
technical reports reviewed were as follows:
"Development of a Common Catalogue of Plant Species and Varieties
Cultivated for the Member States of the West African Economic and
Monetary Union (UEMOA)."
"Proposed Norms for the Harmonization of Seed Quality Control and
Certification."
At the Lome workshop, all speakers noted the pertinence and the
timing of the meeting and stressed that the availability and
affordability of quality seeds of improved varieties combined with
other agricultural inputs and sustainable management practices are
essential for increasing agricultural productivity in sub-Saharan
Africa. In his opening speech, the Togolese Minister of Agriculture,
Livestock and Fisheries, Mr. Bamnante Komikpime highlighted the
relevance of this workshop to national and regional development
goals. “The lack of quality seeds of improved varieties at
affordable prices is one of the key constraints for our farmers. I
urge you to explore ways to overcome this obstacle in order to boost
agriculture in our countries and consolidate the basis for food
security in the region,” the Minister said.
This point was further echoed by the representative of WAEMU, Mr.
Adrien Kohoue: “Considering the importance of agriculture in the
economies of WAEMU’s countries, the organization of this sector is
as imperative as ever if we want to curb our dependence on food
imports. This series of workshops helps to achieve one of the main
objectives of the Union’s common agricultural policy, which is to
create a favorable environment for the improvement of the
competitiveness of agricultural production in its member states.”
All speakers also recognized that harmonization of national
legislation is a prerequisite for open, transparent and competitive
regional agricultural input markets, which will be profitable for
farmers, traders, and consumers. As Mr. Engo, FAO Representative in
Lome, says, “Developing countries have difficulties in enforcing
national regulations. If national capacities must be considered when
developing seed regulations, regional approaches could help overcome
national limitations.”
One of the guidelines in the harmonization process is the balance
principle according to Mr. Amadou M. Djigo, President of the
Federation of African Agri-Input Trade Association (FACIA). “The
challenge is to establish quality standards that are not too high
considering the differences in national capacities and development
levels and that are not too low either to allow access to world
markets,” he says.
The documents reviewed in Lome were prepared by African seed
experts. By the end of the workshop, participants agreed on
protocols for variety evaluation and release based on
internationally accepted norms for field and laboratory testing.
Similarly, they also agreed on the process and criteria for
including a variety in the Regional Seed Catalog. Finally, they
adopted a standard seed definition and a seed classification system.
In his “thank you” remarks, speaking on behalf of WAEMU and its
partners—FAO, IFDC, GTZ, AFSTA and WASNET—Dr. Marc Lapodini Atouga,
Director of Agriculture in WAEMU, announced that:
The first Regional Seed Catalog will soon be prepared.
Technical information has now been collected to draft legislation
and supporting regulations that will be reviewed and validated at
another stakeholder workshop in early 2005.
Once the legislation is approved by stakeholders, WAEMU will submit
these documents to its Council of Ministers for approval before they
are submitted to the Heads of States for adoption.
It is expected that at the end of the process led by WAEMU, a
stakeholders’ workshop will be organized to discuss the WAEMU
legislation with ECOWAS member countries.
IFDC—An International Center for Soil Fertility and Agricultural
Development—is a public, international organization (PIO), which was
founded in 1974 to assist in the quest for global food security. The
nonprofit Center’s mission is to increase agricultural productivity
through the development and transfer of effective, environmentally
sound plant nutrient technology and agricultural marketing
expertise.
st nutrient sources, proper use practices, etc.—is key to improved
farmer incomes.
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