The Federal Government has launched a decisive crackdown on fake seeds, warning that Nigeria’s dream of food security cannot be achieved if farmers continue planting substandard grains disguised as quality seeds.
Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Abdullahi Sabi, explained that despite heavy investments in agriculture, yields remain far below potential because farmers are being deceived with adulterated seeds.
He stressed that genuine seeds are the foundation of high yields, insisting that access to affordable, quality seed must be guaranteed if Nigeria is to feed itself.
Building on this urgency, the Director-General of the National Agricultural Seeds Council (NASC), Fatuhu Mohammed, vowed that it would no longer be business as usual.
He revealed that fake seeds have cost Nigeria millions of dollars in lost production, unlike in countries such as the United States and Israel where seed councils are treated as national assets.
Mohammed, however, announced a weekly nationwide monitoring exercise to keep adulterated seeds out of the market.
The operation, he said, would involve agro-rangers, 36 state coordinators, and personnel of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), while the public would be encouraged to report offenders.
This enforcement drive will be reinforced by a new 2025–2029 Strategic Plan designed to overhaul the seed industry through digitalisation, stronger quality control, and sustainable financing.
According to NASC Boss, the plan is not starting from scratch but builds on previous gains, including the Plant Variety Protection Act and third-party seed certification schemes.
A key feature of the reforms is the seed codex, a scratch-and-text system that allows farmers to instantly verify the authenticity and breeder details of certified seeds.
This innovation, Mohammed said, will help farmers avoid fakes and restore trust in the seed market.
Linking seed security directly to food security, he reminded participants at the validation exercise that “almost 65 percent of farmers plant grains and not seeds, and that is the real challenge we face.”
He added that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has already approved interventions to support genuine seed companies with premium seeds, with visible results expected within 90 days.
Furthermore, development partners, including Propcom, have pledged to work with government to strengthen compliance, boost certification, and drive fake seeds out of circulation.
Together, they argue, the fight against counterfeits is not just about protecting farmers but about securing Nigeria’s future harvests.
