Crop farmers decide their future during a particular phase in a season; that's the planting period. Planting period should be the most important time in the life of a farmer as this determines the potential or extent to which a farmer can achieve desired yield or productivity. Prior to planting, farmers must endeavor to make the right decisions to achieve bumper harvest, and the first step to this is linked with seeds selection. Farmers must choose quality seeds over what is just available. If all factors are favorable and seeds are bad, it limits the potential to achieve a bumper harvest. So, as a farmer, one needs to invest in securing quality seeds for all the crops being cultivated. It is very sad that productivity of crops in Nigeria is still low, and the major factor contributing to it has been linked to the choice of seeds being used during production.

Our reality is that smallholder farmers rarely buy quality seeds due to its cost, and completely lose out in achieving high productivity; penny wise, pounds foolish. Although having quality seeds doesn't automatically mean high yield (There are other factors that contribute to a good yield; good soil management, effective crop protection practices, weather etc) but not planting quality seeds automatically deprives one from achieving high yield. Therefore, we need to develop a system that makes purchase of quality seeds affordable and available in the right quantity at the needed time. More sensitisation should be done for farmers to understand competitive advantages of quality seeds over any other seeds of lower value. Don't be deceived, a seed being expensive doesn't necessarily mean it is of good quality, sometimes, it is just a mere mind game or make-believe. However, what makes a good quality seed are its characteristics; diseased-free, higher germination rate, good shape, size and color, and higher genetic purity amongst.

Farmers need to know how to identify good quality seeds in the market, and we need to sensitize them of the system in place to give feedback of bad seeds brands in the market. A good feedback mechanism that helps the seed regulators to sanction brands, companies or suppliers that sell bad seeds to the market. In conclusion, access to good quality seeds is the right of every farmer and we need to exercise this right in order to increase our productivity, and ensure that food security and Zero hunger become a reality in our own generation.


Yours-in-Service

Babatunde