The Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (KEPHIS) is betting on increase use of its seed traceability system to tackle cases of fake seeds in the market.
According to the inspectorate, the last review of its seed traceability mechanism which enables farmers to distinguish genuine seeds from contraband has been utilized by only 30pc of farmers hence increased usage will help eliminate the vice which threatens health of consumers as well as compromise the country’s food security efforts.
According to KEPHIS Seed Certification and Plant Variety Protection Director Simon Maina, the inspectorate has deployed seed verification system which allows farmers to scratch sticker labels placed on seed packages which they can verify through a short code.
“We have been able to use the system to arrest some people because you find someone goes and buy seeds of sukuma wiki then they cut the tin and put tomato which is high value. So when the farmers buy and scratch they find details of sukuma wiki because the tin was meant for sukuma wiki. Some of those cases we have been able to arrest some people,” said Mana.
Despite efforts by the government to tame the vice, circulation of the fake seeds has been attributed to Kenya’s porous border which have enabled unscrupulous traders to import the products and sell them to unsuspecting farmers.
Since January this year, KEPHIS says it has made 15 arrests related to fake seeds cabal. The inspectorate is now mulling a review of the Seed and Plant Variety Act to enhance penalties for those who have committed by the offence. Despite the prescribing a Ksh 1 million penalty or a maximum jailterm of two years or both, the highest fine ever placed on a single case if Ksh 300,000.
Kenya is also being urged to intensify is seed production capacity through irrigation to ensure increased access to farmers, increase food production and have surplus for export market.
“Our seed capacity is not enough. Most of the seeds we are producing is maize. There are a lot of opportunities of producing seeds for the other crops and we have good varieties. What we need as a country is that we must invest in not just seed production but moving away from the traditional agricultural areas because those areas are very squeezed, the soil is overused and there is a lot of pressure on the land,” added Maina.
Kenya has further been urged to relax law on genetically modified seeds and encourage local production in order ensure enugh food is produced even for livestock.
“Let the technology be introduced to us but from there we transform our own crops. We shouldn’t depend on other outside,” said Dr Stephen Mugo, Director, Centre for Resilient Agriculture for Africa (CRA-Africa). He went on, “If we continue to depend on outside and we keep getting the, it is a problem for the country.”
By Ronald Owili
