The Director-General, National Agricultural Seeds Council (NASC), Dr Olusegun Ojo, has decried illegal importation of agricultural seeds into the country by some individuals and organisations.
Dr Ojo raised the alarm in Abuja on Tuesday during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
Ojo said that the council was aware of the activities of some unpatriotic Nigerians who are engaging themselves in this unwholesome practice.
He said the council was stepping up surveillance activities to arrest the culprits so as to make them face the law.
NAN reports that NASC, is a Federal Government agency under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, charged with overseeing the regulation and development of the country’s seed industry.
Ojo said that by the provision of the National Agricultural Seed Act 1992, no individual or organisation is allowed to bring seeds into the country without recourse to the council.
He said: “Some people are bringing agricultural seeds into the country without passing through the seed council as stipulated by law.
“It is difficult to stop them because they are smuggling the seeds into the countries in portfolios or briefcases.
“There is no way the seed council will know because agricultural quarantine services have long been withdrawn from the nation’s ports and border posts.
“What people don’t know is that it is dangerous to bring in some of these seeds from outside the country without passing through due process.
“This is because they may come in with some pathogens and diseases, which can be very dangerous to the ecosystem, “ he said.
NAN reports that the National Agricultural Seed Act contains provisions that regulate importation of agricultural seeds into the country.
Under the act, only seed companies that are registered with the NASC are permitted to import seeds into the country.
The law provides that crop seeds to be imported must be certified free from any associated pest or disease that is peculiar to the crop.
It also stipulates that the council must be notified on the arrival of the imported seeds for necessary quality assurance checks.
However, the Act forbids importation of seeds for commercial purposes, but permits importation for research and development, while the importing entities are required to carry NASC along in all their related activities.
Ojo said that stringent measures had been incorporated into an amendment bill to the Act which is currently before the National Assembly.
He noted that the N50,000 penalty fee prescribed in the current law was not enough to deter intending offenders.
“In the amendment we are proposing, the penalty be increased to between N800, 000 and N1.6 million for first offenders.
“I believe that this provision, in addition to restoration of quarantine services at the nation’s ports, will go a long way in checking their activities,” he added. (NAN)