Niger Country Report Launch

The 2022 TASAI Niger Country Report summarizes the findings of the TASAI study to appraise the structure and economic performance of Niger’s formal seed sector. This is the first ever TASAI study conducted in the country, the analysis focused on the four grain and legume crops important to a country’s food and nutritional security (the “four focus crops”) – maize, millet, sorghum, and cowpea. Although most farmers continue to rely on seed from the informal seed system, the seed industry is improving and the formal seed system in Niger is in the emerging growth stage of development.

Under the research and development category, our study has found that the Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique du Niger (INRAN) has at least one breeder for each of the focus crops. Although the breeding programs are constrained by insufficient funding and inadequate breeding infrastructure, 16 new varieties of the four crops were released in 2023. Importantly, all seven cowpea varieties and two of the seven maize varieties had climate-smart features. Despite recent releases of improved varieties, old varieties often persist. in 2021, the average ages of the commonly sold varieties ranged from 20 to 43 years,

Under industry competitiveness, 191 entities were registered as seed producers in 2021, comprising 18 seed companies and 173 individual seed producers. The TASAI study has found that the seed market in Niger is competitive, with no single seed producer or group of producers dominating any of the four seed markets. Institutional buyers, such as the government through its subsidy program and NGOs are significant buyers of seed distributed to farmers. The seed industry in Niger is predominantly local, as evidenced by the fact that only one import transaction of cowpea seed was reported in 2022. There were no seed exports in that year.

Niger’s seed policy and regulatory framework are in place and are aligned with the ECOWAS seed regulations. All relevant public services, research institutions, and other regulatory bodies relevant to the seed sector exist; however, the seed regulations and Arrêtés (decrees) are not implemented consistently. For example, though the variety release procedures are clearly defined in the national seed policy, the process is not consistently implemented due to inadequate funding. In addition, variety release fees have not been set. The government seed subsidy program also suffers from poor implementation. It is a large player in the seed market and distributes free certified seed to farmers. However, according to seed producers, the program’s procurement process is not as predictable, open, and transparent as it should be, and payments to seed producers are often late. Further, due to inadequate oversight by the government, the quality of seed supplied through the program is often low.

Under the rubric of institutional support for the seed sector, the study found a dynamic private seed association, the Association des Producteurs Privés des Semences du Niger (APPSN), which is operational and advocates for a stable and competitive seed system. In the area of seed inspection, the data reveal that, the current number of 61 public seed inspectors employed by the Direction du Contrôle et de la Certification des Semences (DCCS) is adequate for the country’s needs, the inspectors’ work is hindered by a lack the resources, as a result of which not all seed fields are inspected during the production season.

Under services to small-scale farmers, our report finds that Niger has few active extension officers, whose employment is mostly tied to specific development projects. The study has found that farmers can access seed in smaller package sizes. The share of sales for different packaged seeds. in Niger are evenly distributed, except for millet, most of which was sold in larger packages above 25 kg because the main buyers are institutions who tend to purchase large quantities.

The report was published following a successful dissemination meeting in Niamey, Niger on July 19, 2023, where findings were validated and discussed by members of Niger’s public and private seed sectors.