Govt says only commercial seeds sharing is restricted

Farmers can continue sharing seeds among themselves since the Seed and Plant Varieties Act only regulates commercial distribution of seeds.

Agriculture Principal Secretary Paul Rono says an amendment to the Seed and Plant Varieties Act that targets to outlaw the distribution of uncertified seeds, if enacted in its current form, will considerably address the issue of fake seeds.

According to the Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (KEPHIS), 10pc of seeds in the Kenyan market are uncertified jeopardizing the country’s food security EFFORTS.

Officials say a crackdown on fake seeds merchants during the last planting season occasioned a certified seed shortage highlighting the infiltration of uncertified seeds.

PS Rono says the current Seed and Plant Varieties Act allows small scale farmers to share seeds but prohibits sale of uncertified seeds.

KEPHIS has cautioned that the crackdown on uncertified seeds will be scaled up in efforts to streamline the seed value chain.

Farmers are expected to harvest over 60,000 tons of maize seed this year, which is the highest in a decade.