Seed is to agriculture almost what blood represents to the human organism, that is to say a guarantee of good production if the latter is of better quality.

However, in Benin, as in most countries in the West African sub-region, this is what is most lacking.

This sub-sector of agriculture does not receive all the attention from those responsible in the field.

As a result, farmers are forced to fend for themselves each season, which could compromise agricultural production in the future.

It is to avoid reaching this level that the leaders of the Technologies for the Transformation of African Agriculture(TAAT) programme and those of the Sasakawa Africa Association (SAA) took the initiative of such a summit.

With its various partners, the leaders of this programme and the stakeholders in the field spent two days, from June 20 to 22, 2024, to diagnose the Beninese seed system with a view to developing a roadmap to make it attractive, efficient and economically sustainable.

This meeting was held in one of the Golden Tulip conference rooms in Cotonou.

As it is very often the case for this type of event, the seed system summit in Benin also started with an opening ceremony which allowed the master of ceremonies to reveal all the categories of participants in this meeting.

Present were Mrs. Comlan Françoise Assogba, Secretary General of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, representing her minister, representatives of banking and financial institutions such as the , the African Development Bank, the Islamic Development Bank, representatives of structures such as the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), AfricaRice, USAID, FAO, the National Agricultural Research InstituteINRAB and farmers and farmers.

There are many players around the seed system in Benin, and even with the creation of the Plant Seeds and Plant Development Company, the expectations of farmers and farmers are are yet to be fully met.

Yet, seed is the first input in agriculture, and it is essential ingredient, Angelo Djihinto, the representative of the Director General of INRAB, stated in his welcome address to the participants.

He was followed at the podium by the Representatives of the Directors General of the IITA and AfricaRice, the Senior Programme Officer at Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), who expressed his satisfaction with the initiative because of the challenge that seeds represent today in the agricultural sector.

Dr Martin Fregene, the Director of Agriculture and Agro-industry at the African Development Bank, expressed satisfaction with TAAT’s renewed emphasis on strengthening seed systems across Africa.

“There is a need to strengthen the seed system in all African countries to improve yield and quality of productivity and I commend TAAT and partners for putting emphasis on foundation seeds and access to certified seeds through sustainable seed systems that can be driven by SMEs,” Dr Fregene added.

Words and numbers

One of the highlights of the opening ceremony was the presentation by Dr Solomon Gizaw, the Head of the TAAT Clearinghouse.

He spoke extensively on the imperatives of accessing high-yielding seeds, using figures and facts to drive home his message. For example, if production today allows for 5 tons per hectare by producing rice, with the technologies implemented by TAAT and tested in the field, it is possible to go up to 20 or 30 tons per hectare.

He cites the case of Egypt. While in some countries production is around 3 tonnes per hectare, in the land of the Pharaohs there are yield records of up to 20 tonnes per hectare.

So there is scope to improve production. Dr Gizaw expatiated on what can be achieved with rice, cassava, corn, soybeans, fish, millet and other livestock which are all TAAT priority crops, he emphasised, stating TAAT’s readiness to duplicate successes recorded in other countries in Benin.

He ended his presentation with great hope: “  We can change Benin, we can change Africa  .”

The BASICS II Project Coordinator, Prof Sani Lateef while pointing out the limiting factors, such as the circulation of fake and adulterated seeds, hoped that the sector would be managed by certified suppliers and that virus-free seeds could be made available to farmers.

Technologies exist, he added, so we need to find ways to put them into practice.

In these conditions, free seeds should be avoided.

The commitment of the authorities of Benin

On behalf of her minister Comlan Françoise Assogba, Secretary General of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, listed the efforts being made in Benin to clean up the seed sector by emphasizing the objectives of creating the Plant Seed and Planting Company.

She acknowledges, however, that efforts need to be made to improve current levels of production and processing of agricultural products.

While welcoming the assistance program of TAAT and its partners, Ms. Assogba invites each actor to play their part in the implementation of the roadmap which will be adopted at the end of the work.

Several presentations were subsequently made to better understand the problems linked to the agricultural sub-sector, followed by a round table during which the seed system of Benin was widely evaluated, in order to very soon make Benin an agricultural power in the West African sub-region.