ISSD Uganda: QDS adoption Bonny Ntare
ISSD Uganda: QDS
adoption
Bonny Ntare
Introduction
Uganda has two recognized seed classes for
marketing quality seed:
● Certified seed produced by seed companies
● Quality Declared Seed (QDS) produced by farmer groups organized as Local Seed Businesses (LSBs)
Shortages of EGS (breeder and foundation) is a major bottleneck in the flow of seed along the seed value chain of food crops in Uganda
<10% of farmers use certified seed (<10%)
Objectives
Enhancing sustainable production and commercialisation of foundation of mainly self-pollinated crops
Promoting farmer-led seed enterprises producing and selling QDS to fill the gap between formal and informal seed supply systems
Supporting development of an enabling environment for the seed subsector
Seed value chain in Uganda
Early generation seed
QUALITY SEED
What is QDS?
seed produced by trained farmer groups and sold in their communities
● Locally demanded seed
● Quality assured
QDS system is a seed quality assurance less demanding than the traditional formal seed certification and more easily implemented by farmers
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Target crops for QDS
ISSD Plus seed production
strategies
Breeder
Seed G1-n
Found.
Seed I
Certified
Seed/QDS
Found.
Seed II
NARIs
FSE
LSBs
ZARDIs SC
LSBs
Agro-dealer
outlets
“Grains”
Contract
farmers
Grain prod/
farmers
Seed providers
Crop/Seed value chain
Foundation seed Quality seed (certified and QDS)
Rice NARIs, IARCs & Seed companies (exclusive rights)
Seed companies, LSBs and NGOs
Maize (OPVs and hybrids)
NARIs, & seed companies - exclusive rights for hybrid seed, MNC
Seed companies through out-growers)
Groundnut NaSARRI, LSBs LSBs
Beans NaCRRI, LSBs, NHL, some seed companies
Seed companies, LSBs farmer groups
Sesame NaSARRI, LSBs, ZARDI NGOs, farmer groups
Soybean Makerere University LSBs
Area Description
Characteristic Trained farmer groups producing QDS as a business. Producers technically equipped, market-oriented, professionally organizes and strategically linked.
Skills Training of district agricultural officers in crop field inspection by the National Seed Certification Service on the Ministry of Agriculture
Profitability Appropriate business models based on commodities; cost-effectiveness; innovative seed delivery channels.
Financial sustainability
Ability to pay for quality assurance services including registration, field inspection, sampling, lab testing and tamper proof green labels.
Pricing Focused on affordability and commodity-based but much lower than cost of certified seed
Business case for QDS
Quality Standards of Certified vs QDS
Crop Min. Purity (%)
Min. germ. (%)
Cert. QDS Cert QDS
Sorghum 99 98 98 98
Millet 98 98 80 70
Rice 98 98 80 75
Beans 98 98 80 75
Groundnut 98 98 75 75
Soybean 99 99 75 65
Sesame 98 98 65 60
Min Number of field inspections
4 2
Proportion of seed plots inspected
100% 10%
Comparing cost of certified seed vs QDS
Seed type
Sales price ($)
Cost of production ($)
Certified seed
1.11 0.81
QDS seed
0.76 0.58
Market grain
0.57 0.35
What are the Benefits of QDS?
Farmers can easily access QDS seed because it is produced within
the farming communities
QDS is readily adaptable to the area where it is produced.
Farmers are able to sell and exchange QDS among themselves.
The QDS system is of equal benefit to male and female farmers
who produce improved seed.
The QDS system provides employment opportunity for youth
(production, providing services etc.
An entry point for moving from subsistence to commercial
agriculture.
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46%
2%
43%
2% 2% 3% 2%
Farmers sources of seed (2013)
Home saved
Neighbours
Local market
LSBs
Agro-dealer
Government
NGO/project
Certified quality seed
Potential of QDS: customer segment
Source: ISSD Uganda Access to seed household survey, 2013
Low quality seed
Policy and regulatory implications
The National Seed Policy Provides for strategies and activities to promote QDS as an alternative to promote use of quality seed by smallholder farmers.
Separate regulations and procedures for QDS aligned to the realities of the diversity of crops, cropping and seed systems for domestic market.
Decentralization of seed quality assurance services by NSCS to minimize operational costs
The fees levied on seed certification services are commensurate with the QDS producers’ economic endowments.
What is the structure of the Regulations?
1/2
A definition of terms related to QDS
Eligibility of varieties
Registration of QDS producers
Production and quality control of QDS
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What is the structure of the Regulations?
2/2
Labeling
Supervision by government
Penalties
Schedules or detailed procedures for each crop
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Coverage of LSBs in Uganda (shaded)
Conclusion(s)
QDS filling a gap for crops/varieties not adequately served by seed companies
● Quality assured
● Affordable (i) reduced cost of production, ii) reduced cost of certification and iii) reduced transport costs
● Reduces use of home-saved seed or grain from markets for seed
Availability of adequate quantities of foundation seed is a critical success factor for the QDS scheme.
Thank You
Thank You