Zimbabwe’s Seed Association New Leadership To Focus On Enhancing National Seed Security

By Wallace Mawire

The Zimbabwe Seed Association (ZSA) has unveiled a new leadership team which has come up with its strategic focus for the year 2024 to 2025 aiming to advance the seed sector development  in the country.

 Dr John Makoni, Chairman of ZSA, emphasized the incoming team's commitment to enhancing national seed security by prioritizing small grains, orphan crops, some vegetable crops and emerging crops such as rice, hemp and sweet potato through increased local production.

According to Makoni, the strategic focus aims to reduce the country's reliance on imported seeds and to save foreign currency. According to him, the committee will work to ensure a diverse range of high-quality, adaptable seed varieties are available to farmers in a timely manner, in the right pack size and at fair prices for various types of crops, including field crops, pasture crops and horticultural crops.

In line with its mission to promote agricultural productivity, nutrition security and economic prosperity, the ZSA says that it remains dedicated to tackling the issue of counterfeit seeds being sold in the country’s urban markets.

Makoni said that the association is prepared to collaborate with government security agencies to implement tracking measures and other strategies to curb the distribution of fake seeds and protect farmers' interests.

‘The ZSA's new leadership will also focus on advocating for improved business conditions to ensure the long-term viability and growth of the seed industry in Zimbabwe. By engaging with stakeholders and policymakers, the committee aims to create an enabling environment that fosters innovation, investment and sustainability within the seed sector,” Makoni said.

The Zimbabwe Seed Association says that it is committed to driving sector development, enhancing food security and contributing to economic development through the provision of high- quality seeds, transparent practices and sustainable industry practices.

The Chairman also said that the new executive committee looks forward to working collaboratively to achieve its goals and serve the needs of farmers in Zimbabwe, the SADC region and beyond.

The Zimbabwe Seed Association (ZSA) announced the election of a new executive committee at its Annual General Meeting held in Harare on 30 May 2024.

The executive committee comprises representatives from seed companies in Zimbabwe,namely Agriseeds, Easiseeds, Intaba Trading, Klein Karoo Seed Marketing, National Tested Seeds, Prime Seed Co, Seed Co, Valley Seeds and Zimbabwe Super Seeds.