The African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF) in collaboration with SEEDAN, National Agricultural Seed Council (NASC) and other stakeholders will today launch a start-up company in Nigeria dedicated to the production of Foundation Seed for Seed companies in the West African Sub-region.
The company, ‘EcoBasic Seed’ with its operational headquarters in Kaduna will be the second AATF supported company set up to support early generation seed development.
The first is the QualiBasic seed company based in Nairobi, Kenya.
Speaking at a press conference in Abuja on Tuesday, Executive Director of AATF, Dr Kanangire Canisius said the seed company that will be launched today will be providing services across the West African Sub-region.
Canisius said the company is coming to fill a very important gap in seed sales and distribution in the region.
He explained that the ECOBasic Seeds Company Ltd was established following a series of interactions with strategic stakeholders in the seed sector in Nigeria that identified the need for focused intervention in the production and sales of foundation seed in the country.
Speaking further, the Executive Director noted that he is also in Nigeria on a solidarity visit to thank the government and people in the last few years.
He said the country has one of the most functional policies, laws, regulations, structures and adequate institutional framework and human resources to safely deploy biotechnologies to improve productivity.
“What is really encouraging for us is that our involvement in this country has been backed by full government support and partnership.
We have witnessed the openness with which the Federal Government of Nigeria has operated in the last few years in granting research, product development and product release permits for the good of its citizens while most other countries are still held back by indecisiveness.
“There is much more than we can do together going forward and we look forward to these opportunities
“Having laid the background to AATF presence and interventions in Nigeria, allow me to pay tribute to the people and government of Nigeria,” he said.
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AATF announces launch of seed company for Nigeria, West Africa. AATF announces launch of seed company for Nigeria, West Africa.
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