By HELEN ZULU –

THE Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) has launched its seed variety catalogue aimed at facilitating farmers’ access to improved varieties from all member states through simplified customs procedure.
COMESA assistant secretary general programmes, Kipyego Cheluget said key benefits of the COMESA seed variety catalogue to the seed system would include, enhancement of more efficient movement of quality seed in the region, as   an opportunity to trade in seed would be opened up.
Benefits include the improvement of seed quality as seed companies would be breeding seed adaptable to farmers farming systems, enhancement of seed traded between borders, resulting in saving time and resources in seed movement in the region.
Other benefits are increased volumes and value of traded improved quality seed in COMESA member states, as seed companies would see opportunities in exporting seed to countries of deficit.
Dr Cheluget said these benefits would contribute significantly to COMESA intra-seed trade which currently was less than 10 per cent,  to increase to about 50 per cent and enhance agricultural growth leading to regional integration.
He was speaking at the launch of the COMESA seed variety catalogue in Lusaka yesterday.
“The COMESA seed variety catalogue is a getway to the quality seed that is to be used by 80 million small holder farmers in the region.
Currently, the region is accessing only half a million tonnes of quality seed against the requirement of about two million tonnes,” Dr. Cheluget said.
He noted that the seed industry in Eastern and Southern Africa region was not very strong, a situation  which prevented small holder farmers from accessing improved quality seed.
Dr Cheluget said the COMESA regional seed trade was facing a lot of challenges that included the lack of human, institutional and seed infrastructure in the  facilitation of improved seed production, small and fragmented national seed markets among others.
Alliance for commodity trade in Eastern and Southern Africa (ACTESA) chief executive officer Argent Chuula said the COMESA seed variety catalogue presented a business opportunity for seed companies’ to grow their businesses.