46 - Vanguard. FRIDAY,. MAY 6. 2011

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Breeder Seed Production centres for approximately 175 varieties of different crops,

FAO supports new body to strengthen continent's· seed market

By BABATUNDE JIMOHwith agency

, reports

to food insecurity, medicinal plant alsa FAST.

growth, reduced seed Ethiopia, and other east seed quality testing Association (NVMA) has called for the impeded economic used as a vegetable in "If we could harmoIDze The Nigerian Veterinary Medical '

trade amongst countries African countries methods for these review of the relevant laws on the

A ' pan-African and created a , ,especially during the tropical crops then we preverition of animal-diseases . . , , network of seed dependence onseed and· lean season and Cleome would be doing a great Dr Charles lbe, President of NVMA made the

. ' t est i n g 'food;~;he said, gyri an dra , or African 'deal to enhance and call in Abuja on Saturday at a press briefing to laboratories has been' , FASTwill also provide cabbage, , ' support the continent's mark the World Veterinary Day, established by the ' for the", first time a Importarit food security native seed trade," said The said the call had become imperative because African Union and the regulatory framework for grains such as fonio, a Guei. FAST' was all the legislative instruments for the practice of Afridm Seed Network a number of important crJJp widely eaten in the ' established at a ·meeting veterinaiy medicine in the country were obsolete , with the support ofFAO African food crops such Sahel region of West of African seed experts He said the~ review would ensure the to s,peed up the as a black nightshade Africa, will also benefit organized by FAO last surveillance and eradication of veterinary diseases

. harmoniza tion of a (Solonum nigrum). a from the existence of month in Bamako, Mali, in line with modem practices, contine nt-wide seed Ibe said extant laws were too weak for the market in traditional and challenges confronting the practice of veterinary non-traditional crops, ~-.a __ ... III Coord- ator medicine, '

Initially based in r........ :, . In ' , He further said that were no federal Nairobi, the Forum for . , " . government veterinary hospitals and primary Africa Seed Testing laments .............. nt· of veterinary health care centers in the country, (FAST) will fast track the . •• _.~... , Ibe said there was need to adopt collaborative implementation of laws ' . .', " . approach for the surveillance , prevention, to harmonize the sector count' .............. ' . &i-n.·d b, eradication and research on rabies , and promote seed 'VII ~. • U . Prof. Garuba Sharubutu, 'former President of testing 'and quality : ', stat.' ."i'~IID::¥I:' NVMAeicpressed concern at the increasing rate control, including the of animal diseases manifesting inhuman beings , dtafting of seed testing He said, "the diseases medically known as protocols for major crops zoonossis were now moving into humans at a for both ' publk and fasterrate," private companies, M r Razak now but each state Sharubutu, who identified the diseases as ,

Germplasm exchange Salawu, ' the differs m the process of Salawu also lamented- tuberculosis and rabies , noted that bats, cats; FAST,will also help to Sou th -West " implementation because the inability of Eadama cattle , chimpanzees, dogs, geese , monkeys and

increase exchanges of Project Coordinator of of the. delay in payment Community User Gr-eup rabbits were agents of~oonossis .. __ ~ . __ _ germplasm, the genetic , Fadama III, h~~_,~~~ --p!TIlIC!ryvetennaryclirncsmalllocalgovernment

. oryaIDsUrWlll<:n"fll~ nIl'" 11TIJ1IlrfiTIffitatlOn . .oI- the ;:; goverriiri~rits~~"'''''' .-- requested project cost. areas , , , . ' case 1S seed collections, project III the regIOn to "The World Bank, in He said the Fadama Sharubutu also calied for the vacclllation of dogs as' well as other the inability of so'me giving out the project, project was always against rabies and other diseases to ensure public

technical innovations · states to pay the stared that each state ready to implement any health and food security, among seed laboratories required counterpart has to 'Pay a certain project as requested by He further called for the setting up of a Ministry in Africa, fund, amount as a counterpart the registered user of Animal Health ' and Production as a matter of

."The problem of poor Salawu said in Ijebu- fund for .the group in the community. urgency. 'seed quality has Ode on Monday that implementation of the Salawu pointed out

plagued African without the required projects. thatfor,anyprojectt6be agriculture for years and counterpart fund, the "s omesta tes and executed on the request has, in part, \:ontribufed project could not be local governmentS in the of a user group, it to the failure of the implemented as fast asi!. Sou t h . would pay a certain green revolution ' in should, " One of the West, however, h .. ave percentage of the project Airica," said Robert G, problems fa cing th e notbe able tomeeLthat cost while the Fadama Guei, Senior Officer implemen'tation of expectation and tifatis ' initiative would pay with FAO's Agriculture Fadama III project is why some states move ' tne rest and Consume r from the government faster than the others', ", .. .. Th,e,coQrdinatorsaid Protection Department itself, Salawu said. some communities had

Seed bottleneck "Some states and local He appealed toO the ' hot be meeting up with "Inadequate supply of governments have not affected states and local , the payment, adding

quality seeds for botn been able to pay the governments to assist in that ". over eight food and cash crops is required counterpart the implementation of million dollars drawn one of the biggest fund for the the project by paying up from<fhe'World Bank had bottlenecks to food implementation of the the required counterpart so far beeri.spent ·on the production on the project. "Thou·gh the fund. Fadama III project in continent, contributing project is on course right the South-West states,