Farmers in Niger Delta to Get Better Seeds Through New Partnership

Farmers in the Niger Delta will soon have better access to certified seeds and quality planting materials. This follows a two-year partnership between the National Agricultural Seed Council (NASC) and the Foundation for Partnership Initiatives in the Niger Delta (PIND).

The two groups signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at NASC’s headquarters in Abuja. The goal is to boost community-based seed production, improve certification and inspection, develop local seed businesses, and attract investment in Nigeria’s seed industry.

This partnership brings together NASC’s regulatory role and quality assurance with PIND’s market systems skills and connections to Community Seed Entrepreneurs, Farm Service Providers, Business Service Providers, research bodies, and private companies.

At the signing event, NASC Director-General, Fatuhu Muhammed, stated that the agreement would help provide quality-assurance services to farmers and seed producers.

"A productive agricultural sector begins with quality seeds. By working with PIND and its networks across the Niger Delta, NASC can extend certification and inspection services to more communities. This will protect farmers from poor-quality planting materials and create better investment opportunities in Nigeria’s seed industry," he said.

PIND’s Executive Director, Sam Daibo, mentioned that the partnership would help turn successful community-level projects into larger-scale institutional efforts.

"Many farmers understand the value of quality seeds but cannot access certified planting materials when and where they need them. By combining NASC’s regulatory leadership with PIND’s market systems experience, we can close that gap, strengthen local seed businesses, and help farmers create more productive and profitable livelihoods," Mr Daibo said.

This MoU builds on a collaboration that started in 2016 through the Building an Economically Sustainable Seed System for Cassava program. This program was run together with the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and the National Root Crops Research Institute (NRCRI).

The partnership later grew to include community-based cassava seed multiplication, with NASC certifying seed plots throughout the Niger Delta.

Under the new framework, NASC and PIND will increase community seed multiplication certified by NASC across the region. NASC will handle certification and quality assurance, while PIND will assist with business development, technical help, and market connections.

The partners will also expand NASC’s Licensed Seed Inspectors Scheme into the Niger Delta. They will choose candidates from PIND’s Farm Service Provider and Business Service Provider networks.

The partnership will promote local seed production for high-demand vegetables like tomato, pepper, and cucumber. It will also improve access to cassava, banana, and yam planting materials produced through NASC’s PROSSIVA program.

The agreement will support the Mastercard Foundation-funded WISE program. This will allow NASC to certify Community Seed Entrepreneurs trained to supply quality cassava planting materials to women producers in the Niger Delta.

The first major joint project will be the Nigeria Seed Systems Forum 2026 in Abuja. This forum aims to gather policymakers, regulators, researchers, investors, seed companies, development partners, and farmers. They will discuss policies, investments, and market actions to improve Nigeria’s seed sector.

A Joint Technical Working Group with members from NASC and PIND will manage the implementation and track progress of the agreement.

Through this partnership, both organizations hope to strengthen the ties between regulation, research, business development, and markets. They aim to bring certified seeds closer to farmers and build a stronger, more sustainable seed industry in Nigeria.