Niger

Seed sector in Niger

Between 1989 and 2002, local seed companies began producing certified seed for food crops. In 1999, the Association of Private Seed Producers of Niger (APPSN) was established by companies, producer groups and emerging seed producers. In 2008, the regional seed regulation ECOWAS-UEMOA-CILSS was adopted, and a regional catalogue was published. In 2015, the National Seed Committee was created, which swore in 90 seed inspectors throughout the country and created an administrative foundation to implement seed legislation. The 3N Initiative (Nigerians Nourish Nigerians) is estimated to have seen a 30% increase in the use of certified seeds since 2012.

Seed producing cooperatives constitute the basis of the private seed sector. The APPSN was created in 1999 and was exclusively composed of organizations of an associative and cooperative nature. With the improvement of the regulatory environment, the first private seed companies were created and mostly emerged from the member organizations of the APPSN. In 2017, there were about 65 cooperative seed producers and multipliers active in Niger.  

Observations

There are 10index companies in Niger, but Technisem and AINOMA, which is headquartered in the country, are the only two that accompany their sales activities with extension services.

No index company has breeding activities in Niger, though three do have testing locations in the country. Also, several seed-producing cooperatives partner with research institutes to select suitable varieties.

AINOMA is the only index company that produces seed in Niger, though there are several national seed companies and cooperatives (not included in the index) that do so as well.