Seed Traders Association of Malawi (STAM) has bemoaned low adoption of certified seeds and other associated technologies in the country.

Speaking during Agrodealers training on capacity building on Friday in Lilongwe, STAM Secretary General, Nesemu Munyama said despite agriculture being the mainstay of the country ‘s economy, production per area of land for cereals and grain , legume crops remains very low.

“Smallholder farmers are realizing less than a ton per hectare.This is due to limited use of improved certified seeds, farmer grain market challenges as well as limited awareness,” he said.

Munyama added that outdated seed legislation and also uncoordinated agriculture programs being implemented by different stakeholders have made difficult to plan the seed production and marketing.

He however commended the Accelerated Innovation Delivery Initiative (AID-I) project covering Malawi, Zambia and Tanzania for enhanceds utilization of improved certified seed.

The project is supporting scaling of multiple-stress tolerant maize varieties, quality assurance on early generation seed, capacity building of industry stakeholders and seed demand creation.

President for Central Region Agrodealers Association, Nelson Msewezi emphasized the importance of the training saying Agrodealers will be equiped with skills and knowledge in promoting certified seeds in the country.

“There are gaps in marketing the certified seeds among Agrodealers with Seed companies. So, the training will bridge this gap between the two,” he said.

Agriculture in Malawi accounts for 30 percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), generating 80 percent of the national export earnings and providing employment to about 80 percent of the rural population.

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