By Steven Godfrey Mkweteza
One of the country’s multi-seed companies, Seedco Malawi Limited has urged the agro-dealers in the country to be proactive in playing their roles in the fight against the sprouting of fake seeds on the markets so as to make the 2023-24 farming season a success.
Sales and marketing manager for the company, Dennis Mdzalimbo made the call on Friday in Blantyre during the 2021-22 farming season feedback session which the company organised for the southern region agro-dealers and transporters.
Mdzalimbo said just like other players in Agri business, agro-dealers have critical roles to play in the country’s fight against the production of fake seeds which if well managed will reduce further the malpractice, thereby winning the fight.
Mdzalimbo said fighting against the malpractice is not only the mandate of government but the responsibility of different stakeholders who need to work together failing which the country will continue to record massive levels of fake seeds on the markets.
“Actually, what we have to understand is that there are things which government can ably do and there are also things which agro-dealers can ably do in fighting against this unscrupulous tendency in the country at all levels,” he said
Mdzalimbo observed that despite varrious measures put in place to fight against the production of fake seeds in the country, the malpractice is still on the increase.
According to him, various interventions indicate that many farmers most especially in the rural settings were susceptible to the malpractice due to information gap, illiteracy levels and poverty among others.
“Therefore, it is our expectation that agro-dealers as the suppliers of agri inputs, will make deliberate attempts to influence farmers to buy the certify seeds so as to reduce the production of fake seeds,” he said.
In a separate interview, the regional sales manager for the southern region, Widdingtone Lipenga observed that fake seeds were making companies to make loses in their sales, as most farmers opt to buy the fake seeds due to it’s prices.
Lipenga said farmers should see the value for their money by investing in hybrid seeds so as increase their production.
Charles Gogoda, an agro-dealer in Mulanje district said the low supply of hybrid seeds on the markets prompted many agro-dealers to stock fake seeds in their shops.
He said many farmers planted local and uncertified seeds during last farming season because of late supply of the seeds on the markets.
“For example, last farming season government started supplying the hybrid seeds very late. And it also closed the markets very early. This made many farmers to buy seeds from unscrupulous traders, hence poor yields,” said Gogoda who trades as Zingwani general dealers.
Gogoda further emphasized on the need to intensify public awareness so as farmers should differentiate between certified and fake seeds.
In 2022, government and it’s development partners introduced a scratch card on some agricultural products in a bid to control the production of fake seeds.
