The Director-General, National Agricultural Seed Council (NASC) Dr. Philip Ojo, has expressed worry over the rate of substandard vegetable seeds in circulation across the country due to lack of seed codex on products.
Ojo while speaking in Abuja at a workshop for seed stakeholders, noted seeds without codex are not tested and lack quality control and as such should not be sold.
The Director Seed Inspectorate, NASC, Agboola Adebayo represented Ojo at the event explained that most of the vegetable seeds particularly the so-called seeds from Netherlands, Germany does not carry codex or added at random.
“When we go out for enforcement, what we discover is that most of the vegetable seeds displayed for sale in Nigeria does not carry seed codex.
“The implication is that seed council has no knowledge of the seed because if your seed does not carry codex, the meaning is that you have not drawn sample, not tested and the quality stated at the back of the package has not been affirmed by the council which is the only authority to affirm its quality before display or offered for sale.
