National Seed Plan Approved

29 June 2011

Maputo — The Mozambican government on Tuesday approved the National Programme for Strengthening Seed Supply.

The programme has been put together under the Agricultural Development Strategic Plan (PEDSA) which was adopted by the government in May. The seed programme has an overall budget of 1.5 billion meticais (about 52 million US dollars), part of which will be funded from the state budget.

Agriculture Minister Jose Pacheco told reporters at the end of a meeting of the Council of Ministers (Cabinet) that the programme aims to increase access to improved seed.

“Our objective is to increase the production of improved seed at national level, and to improve and expand the seed distribution network, particularly in the rural areas where most farming takes place”, said Pacheco.

The minister stressed the need to increase the capacity to process seed, strengthen the seed production companies, and guarantee an efficient and effective system for quality control.

He said that improved seeds are a national asset that should be preserved and protected because of their vital importance as a major production input. However, he stressed that this should not prevent making seed production a business.

“Currently the country produces six thousand tonnes of seed of which 50 per cent is maize seed, and 32 per cent is rice seed, and 18 per cent is for other crops”, said the minister.

However, this is well below the needs of the country. Pacheco pointed out that currently only ten per cent of Mozambican farmers use improved seed. The result is low agricultural productivity.

The seed programme will begin during this agricultural season (2011/12) and extend into 2014/15 by when it is planned to produce 262,000 tonnes of seed per year.

To implement the programme two institutions must be strengthened – the state owned company Sementes de Mocambique (SEMOC – Seeds of Mozambique), and the Mozambique Grain Institute (ICM).

“SEMOC needs to be restructured through a public-private partnership so that it can meet the needs of development. The Mozambique Grain Institute also has to be changed, because we cannot run the risk of our farmers increasing productivity and their output without guaranteeing a market for their surplus”, concluded the minister.

In other words, the ICM will revert to playing the role of buyer of last resort, promising to purchase all grain that private traders fail to buy.

During the Cabinet meeting the ministers reviewed the implementation of the Multisectoral Action Plan for the Reduction of Chronic Malnutrition, which was approved last year.

On Monday a UNICEF report “Child Poverty and Disparities in Mozambique 2010” was published, warning that chronic malnutrition affects 44 per cent of Mozambican children under five years of age.

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