Seed Inspectorate Department of the National Agricultural Seeds Council (NASC) has raided shops of some seed dealers in Abuja.
The raid saw the NASC officials confiscating uncertified seeds being sold to members of the public, particularly farmers.
The team led by the Director, Mr. Agboola Adebayo, paid an unscheduled visit to some seeds sellers in Area 3, Ado and Nyanya market.
In one of the visit to Agritopic Vegetable Seeds for Nigeria in Ado, Karu Local Government Area of Nasarawa State, the team confiscated uncertified seeds due to non-compliance with the provisions of the NASC Act 2019 which mandates dealers to affix SeedCodex tags on their packs.
The team discovered that the dealer was selling imported vegetable seeds without undergoing certification through fixing of SeedCodex tags on the packs.
Some of the seeds confiscated include 19 pieces of 50 grams of Technisem Seed, 35 pieces of 100 grams of assorted vegetable seeds, 20 grams of sachet okro, hot pepper, papaya, cabbage, eggplant, watermelon, among others.
The team also visited Harvest-Feed Industries Limited located in Area 3, in the Federal Capital
Territory, Abuja where the seed dealer was given a clean bill of health, as he has complied with the provisions of the NASC Act.
Addressing newsmen shortly after the raid, Adebayo described the exercise as a sting operation designed to monitor the activities of seed dealers to ensure that they are operating within the stipulated standard.
He expressed joy that the routine exercise embarked upon by the Council is yielding fruit, as some of the seed dealers have begun to comply with the seed standard.
He commended Harvestfield industrial Limited for having only certified seeds in its stock, saying the Council will commend the dealer for adhering to selling quality seeds.
He added that with more awareness creation and enlightenment, the National Agricultural Seeds Council would achieve 100 percent compliance.
The Director of Seed Inspectorate vowed that the Council would not hesitate to arrest, prosecute and jail any offender who continues to violate the provisions of the Seed Act 2019.
Commenting on the confiscation of the seeds, he said, “Why we only confiscated these seeds this morning and did not seal their shop is that it is their first time.
