Counterfeit seed threatens yield

PAN-AFRICAN agro-seed processor Seed Co says counterfeit maize seed on the market poses a threat to national yield targets, as well as farmer income levels.

This comes after a joint operation by the company and the Zimbabwe Republic Police recently netted 7,8 metric tonnes of counterfeit maize seed with an estimated value of between US$18 000 and US$20 000 at a home factory in Harare.
Finance minister Mthuli Ncube has projected an agricultural sector rebound of 6,7 percent in 2023, up from the five percent decline projected for 2022.
According to Ncube, interventions in the sector will be guided by the Agriculture and Food Systems Transformation Strategy and Agriculture Recovery Plan, whose thrust is to increase agriculture output to US$8,2 billion by 2025.
“The impact caused by fake seed is huge both on the economic and social fronts, with hunger due to poor harvests leading to depleted levels of income. Moreover, the negative impact on the national yield target is severe.
“The 2022/23 season has begun and 13 cases have been reported to date and convictions are pending court judgments. For a brand to lose 7,8 metric tonnes going through the fake seed pipelines, is a huge loss to the agriculture community,” Seed Co managing director Terrence Chimanya told the media this week.
“Our warning to farmers is to stay clear of fake seed dealers; unlicensed and unregistered informal traders are selling replica Seed Co products. Their selling prices are below the market price of genuine products and, in most cases, with margins that may seem reasonable to victims.
“At Seed Co, we are working tirelessly to prevent farmers from buying fake seed through marketing awareness campaigns that educate consumers on fake seed and the potential losses that might be incurred through fake products misrepresented as our brand,” Chimanya added.
Seed Co has been producing seed in Zimbabwe and across the African continent since 1940 and says it has invested in scientific research and technologies that enable the production of locally adaptable genetics for every agro-ecological region.
“Our drive as Seed Co is towards the development of climate-smart varieties that guarantee farmer productivity and a high return per dollar invested.
“Our Seed Co varieties have undergone intense research processes to ensure that they are high yielding across all series, from the ultra-early to the late varieties,” Chimanya said “With Seed Co maize seed, a farmer has the potential to reach 8 to 16 tonnes per hectare. However, a farmer using fake seeds will lose about 80 percent of their harvest.”
He explained how the fake seed was compounding unsuspecting farmers’ vulnerability to shocks such as climate change.
“Our passion to protect the farmer emanates from our understanding that farming is an investment in inputs, land, and labour, and farmers expect an optimal income.
“When a farmer is purchasing Seed Co inputs, they are expecting a bumper harvest from seed that is resilient in the face of threats like drought, pests, and diseases,” he said.
“Our goal is to ensure that farmers’ confidence is not abused through fake and unworthy seed.