Behind every bag of potatoes sold in a Nigerian market lies a question the sector has too rarely asked: where did the seed come from? For most farmers on the Jos Plateau, the answer is the open market, a neighbour's field, or last season's leftover tubers but rarely a certified, disease-free source. Closing that gap requires more than quality seed. It requires a regulatory system built to deliver it.
That was the starting point when regulators, researchers and private sector actors from Nigeria's potato industry convened in Jos, Plateau State, this past June, to examine what it would take to make the sector's regulatory framework work for the businesses who depend on it.
The outcomes of that engagement are now available, setting out the review’s findings on potato variety registration, seed import and export, and quality certification, as well as the concrete commitments made by stakeholders to move the sector forward.
The workshop was convened by the National Agricultural Seeds Council (NASC) and the National Root Crops Research Institute (NRCRI), together with Dutch counterpart Naktuinbouw and partners SEPIA Foundation and Sahel Consulting.
Follow this link to read the full report.
Contact
The agricultural team together with the colleagues in The Hague will continue to work on the development of the potato sector in Nigeria. Send us an email via lag-lvvn@minbuza.nl if you want to know more.