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THE Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (Comesa) has set up a committee to improve the distribution of quality seed among member states as part of measures to improve food security.
The new Comesa Seed Committee was launched in Lusaka, Zambia last week. The regional trading bloc said in a statement that the committee would help strengthen regional cooperation in the agricultural sector by member states.
Zimbabwe is part of the 19-member trading bloc that includes countries such as Zambia, Burundi, Kenya, Comoros, Djibouti, Angola, Malawi, Seychelles, and Swaziland.
“The Comesa Seed Committee, whose aim is to strengthen regional co-operation in the agricultural sector, improve distribution of quality seed and achieve food security, was launched in Lusaka, Zambia on September 10, 2015,” said Comesa.
“Among the key functions of the committee is the formulation of the necessary technical guidelines and procedures for the operation of the Comesa seed system and developing crop-specific requirements.”
The committee would also consider and recommend amendments to rules, directives and standards of the seed system.
Access to improved or quality seed is low in the region standing at 23 percent of the 80 million small-holder farmers.
This, the trading bloc said, was attributable to low productivity especially on cereals like maize, sorghum and pearl millet yet member countries had the most global arable land.
derick.khumalo