Africa-Press – Mozambique. This was the conclusion of a study conducted by the Seed Sector Promotion Association in partnership with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations.
The document presented this Friday in Quelimane states that many farmers use grain instead of certified seeds.
Celso Ruface, an expert in seed technology at FAO, explained that the use of grain instead of seeds contributes to low crop productivity.
“We identify fake seeds often after sowing the product; when different plants start to appear, with very different characteristics. During production, we find that the grain looks different, one is shorter, another is longer, various colors and so on; so it is work that was done during a campaign that has no use as a seed and we go back to using grain,” he said.
Celso Ruface emphasizes the need to hold accountable the economic agents who market fake seeds of dubious origin.
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