Ames, Iowa
April, 2009
Source: Fall/Winter 2008-09
Issue of the Iowa Seed & Biosafety newsletter, published by the
Seed Science Center and the Biosafety Institute for Genetically
Modified Agricultural Products at
Iowa State
University
http://www.bigmap.iastate.edu/images/fallwinter0809.pdf
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Mauricio Ina’cio Dengo (right) is working with Global
Program Leader Joe Cortes (left) to develop a quality
manual for his seed company in Mozambique. |
Dengo Commercial, owned by
Mauricio Ina’cio Dengo, is just one example of the many Southern
African private seed companies that have benefitted from the
SEEDS (Seed Enterprise Enhancement and Development Services)
program.
Dengo started his company, located in Chimoio, Mozambique, 14
years ago. Originally focused on the sales of other agricultural
inputs, two years ago Dengo decided to expand his operation to
include seed. Up to this point, Dengo has contracted farmers to
produce openpollinated varieties. This year he expects his
growers will produce 400 tons of maize and 200 tons of beans.
Soon, because Dengo believes there is great market potential for
quality hybrid seed, he is planning to work towards including
hybrid seed production as part of his operation.
Seed agro-dealerships like Dengo’s would not have been possible
in southern Africa in the past. Poor infrastructure and the lack
of available quality seed and processing facilities prevented
agrodealers in the area from becoming well established. What few
seed companies existed in Mozambique were poorly developed. As a
result, agricultural productivity remained low, and hunger and
poverty prevailed.
Seed Science Center Global Program Leader Joe Cortes and
Scientist Adelaida Harries have been involved with the SEEDS
program in Africa since 2005.
The program is designed to enhance seed policies and
regulations, seed business development, and to build the
capacity of existing seed companies in countries where quality
seed is currently hard to obtain.
“By establishing regional policy and regulation systems, seed
can more easily move across borders,” said Cortes. “That
increases the market demand for highquality seed.”
Cortes said that because good-quality seed has not been
available in the past, farmers have had to plant seed from
previous crops or barter for seed. “This poor-quality seed
resulted in poor yields,” he said. “ The outcome has always been
that these farmers are never able to pull themselves out of
poverty. We wanted to find a way to stop that cycle.”
Cortes and Harries have worked with regional seed and plant
health departments to establish seed certification
standards, to reduce the number of pathogens on quarantine pest
lists, and to help seed companies become accredited so that they
can conduct their own seed certification.
In addition to being the owner of a seed company, Dengo is
President of the recently created Seed Trade Association of
Mozambique (APROSEM). With the help of Cortes and Harries,
Dengo is working to develop a quality manual to improve the
quality systems of the Dengo Commercial Seed Company. |
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