Posted on January, 20, 2021 at 08:54 am
Complaints of farmers over fake seeds of various crops they get from agents that fail to germinate have gone own from 13 incidents in 2018/19 to 6 in 2019/20 due to public awareness provided by Tanzania Offiical Seed Certification Institute (TOSCI)
TOSCI acting director general John Msemwa disclosed here at the weekend, saying the complaints have been reduced due to extensive education to farmers that called on them to demand receipts from agents whenever they purchase the seeds and not to discard the packaging before seeds germinate in farms.
He said the complaints from farmers countrywide spurred TOSCI inspectors to examine seed samples and for those that do not do well in farms were destroyed under TOSCI supervision and stern legal action taken against agents.
Msemwa said TOSCI called on farmers to continue being trained on proper education they receive while insisting on quality seeds for them to reap the benefits from farming activities.
TOSCI chief seed inspector Emmanuel Mwakatobe called on farmers to immediately report to the institute of any seeds they purchase that do not germinate in their farms after planting.
He called upon farmers to purchase seeds from approved shops that sell farm inputs that have been registered by TOESCI, and not from any other places.
He said the Seeds Act of 2003 and its 2014 amendments set down procedures for farmers to follow to enable them get compensation in case he purchased fake seeds, so long as he/she has the receipt for the purchase as well as the packaging.
“It’s better for farmers to use TOSCI certified seeds because there are farmers who still use ordinary seeds and find themselves harvesting two bags of rice per acre while had they planted quality seeds they could reap between 35 and 40 bags per acre,” Mwakatobe added.
Source: IPP Media