The Minister of Agriculture and Animal Resources, Ildephonse Musafiri, has called on Rwanda's seed industry to focus on research and resources to address the country's heavy dependence on imported vegetable seeds.
Musafiri said this during the first National Seed Congress on Monday, July 31. The congress is set to conclude today.
Despite significant progress in producing seeds for key commodities like maize, wheat, and soybeans, Rwanda still imports all its vegetable seeds.
The high cost of imported seeds, such as the Teja F1 hot pepper variety, priced at Rwf3 million per kilogramme, has prompted the government to seek alternative solutions.
Despite significant progress in producing seeds for key commodities like maize, wheat, and soybeans, Rwanda still imports all its vegetable seeds.
The high cost of imported seeds, One of the major challenges hindering local seed production is the patents held by companies that developed existing vegetable seed varieties, limiting their multiplication by others.
To tackle this issue, Musafiri proposed partnerships with patent-holding firms to allow the multiplication of seeds within the country. Additionally, he suggested that local seed industry players invest in research to develop new seed varieties domestically.
According to Musafiri, Rwanda's diverse climate offers opportunities for local production of vegetable seeds. Innocent Namuhoranye, the Chairperson of the National Seed Association of Rwanda (NSAR), also highlighted the potential for developing vegetable seeds locally.
He mentioned that the multiplication of vegetable seeds differs from that of maize seeds, as some varieties require specific climate conditions for successful development.
The success of the maize seed subsector in Rwanda, where the country now produces more seed than it imports, serves as an example of the potential for local seed production.
Musafiri expressed Rwanda's aspiration to achieve self-sufficiency in seed production for commodities where it holds a comparative advantage.
The country also aims to become an exporter of locally produced seeds to bolster agricultural progress and enhance regional collaboration.
