Comesa pushes for harmonised seed regulations

Harmonisation of seed policies across Africa has been cited as a game-changer in improving seed production, reliability, and trade while making the seed industry more competitive. 

To fast-track this, the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (Comesa), through its agency, Alliance for Commodity Trade in Eastern and Southern Africa (ACTESA), has rolled out the COMESA Seed Trade Harmonisation Regulations.

Speaking during a regional workshop in Nairobi on the Comesa Seed Harmonisation Implementation Plan (COMSHIP), ACTESA Chief Executive John Mukuka revealed that only 20 per cent of the 90 million smallholder farmers in the region access quality and improved seeds.

“Out of a population of 610 million, about 130 million people are food insecure. Yet, the region’s seed market potential stands at 2 million metric tonnes.

Unfortunately, we’re only producing and accessing less than 500,000 metric tonnes—just two per cent of global seed production,” he noted. 

Dr Mukuka attributed the shortfall to fragmented national seed markets, each with its own policies and regulations. 

“This fragmentation forces seed companies to enter each market separately, increasing costs and delaying access to quality seeds for farmers,” he explained. 

To address this gap, Comesa is implementing its harmonised seed regulations at both national and regional levels through the European Union-funded Regional Enterprise Competitiveness and Access to Markets Programme (RECAMP) under the 11th European Development Fund (EDF). 

Since 2015, COMSHIP has registered 119 seed varieties from 20 seed companies and CGIAR centres. This has reduced the commercialisation time of new seeds from two to three years to a shorter, more efficient process. 

So far, 11 Comesa member states—including Kenya, Uganda, Zambia, and Ethiopia—have officially adopted the harmonised regulations. The Democratic Republic of Congo is expected to follow suit by the end of this month. 

Dr Mukuka also confirmed that COMSHIP has developed Standard Operating Procedures for 13 staple crops, including maize, beans, sorghum, rice, groundnuts, and potatoes, with support from the EU and AGRA. 

Kenya’s Plant Health Inspectorate Service (Kephis) Managing Director Prof Theophilus Mutui emphasised the role of quality seeds in boosting productivity and resilience.

In remarks delivered on his behalf by Kephis Acting Director of Laboratory Services Florence Munguti, he said: “Seeds are the backbone of agriculture. KEPHIS has developed strong regulatory and certification systems to ensure that farmers access certified, high-quality seeds.” 

He noted that Kephis has been involved in COMESA’s seed harmonisation journey since 2015 and continues to support regional seed labelling through software developed by Mpedigree. The Comesa label includes key details such as species, variety, lot number, test certificate number, and seed treatment information, alongside the country of origin and Comesa logos. 

Comesa EDF Programme Manager Mshuka Kamwela reiterated that the RECAMP programme has played a key role in aligning national laws with the regional framework. 

“This workshop is proof of the collective commitment to improving seed access, supporting smallholder farmers, and transforming agriculture across the COMESA region,” he said.