Online Reporter
Nqobile Bhebhe Zimpapers Business Hub
ZIMBABWE’S assumption of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) chairmanship in October could place the country at the centre of a regional drive to transform seed security into a strategic pillar for food security, climate resilience, agricultural productivity and intra-African trade.
The opportunity comes as the bloc moves to operationalise the COMESA Seed Information System (COMSIS) and the COMESA Seed Labelling and Certification System — initiatives that could reshape how quality seed is certified, traded and distributed across Eastern and Southern Africa.
For a region repeatedly battered by droughts, floods and other climate shocks, the emerging seed architecture offers an opportunity to move from fragmented national responses towards a coordinated system capable of anticipating shortages and getting the right planting material to farmers before crises strike.
According to COMESA, only about one in five small-scale farmers across the region currently has access to quality improved seed.
The deficit is more than an agricultural challenge.
It suppresses farm productivity and incomes, constrains food supplies and limits the growth of intra-regional agricultural trade.
With Zimbabwe set to host the 25th COMESA Heads of State and Government Summit in October, which will run under the theme “One Market, One Future: Advancing Inclusive
Industrialisation”, agriculture experts say the country can use its chairmanship to move the seed agenda from policy commitments to practical regional action.
According to COMESA, the Alliance for Commodity Trade in Eastern and Southern Africa (ACTESA) is taking a transformative step with the unveiling of COMSIS and the operationalisation of the
COMESA Seed Labelling and Certification System.
The initiatives are expected to improve farmers’ access to certified, high-quality seed; digitise and strengthen seed information management across member states; harmonise seed certification and labelling to facilitate regional trade; increase transparency and traceability across the seed value chain; and attract greater private-sector investment.
The region already has established seed companies, research institutions and agricultural systems that can provide the commercial and technical backbone for a more integrated regional market.
One of the major players is Seed Co International, a leading firm authorised to market seed varieties developed by itself, the Government, and other associated seed breeders in more than 15 African countries.
The international company has maintained a strong market share among communal and commercial farmers through sustained investment in research and development, and is involved in the breeding, multiplication and distribution of hybrid maize, wheat, soya bean, beans, rice, potatoes, sorghum, cotton and vegetable seeds.
This existing private-sector capacity gives Zimbabwe a strong platform from which to champion regional seed integration.
Experts maintain that, if effectively linked to COMSIS, companies such as Seed Co could provide information on seed availability, varieties, production capacity and distribution networks, helping turn the system from a mere database into an actionable regional agricultural intelligence platform.
Agricultural economist Ms Silethubuhle Mkwananzi said Zimbabwe’s leadership should focus on making seed security a regional rather than a national responsibility.
“Zimbabwe has an opportunity through the COMESA chairmanship to demonstrate that seed security must be treated in the same way as food security,” she said.
“A drought does not respect national borders, and, therefore, the response cannot be confined to individual countries.
“A regional seed information and certification system gives countries the ability to anticipate shortages and move planting material to where it is needed most.”
Instead of waiting for drought to trigger crop failure, COMESA countries could use COMSIS to identify potential seed shortages ahead of the planting season.
Rainfall forecasts, as well as planting intentions, seed stocks and the availability of drought-tolerant and short-season varieties, could be brought together to give governments, seed companies, agro-dealers and farmers a clearer picture of emerging requirements.
Such a system would shift the region from post-disaster intervention to anticipatory action.
Seed specialist Mr Tinashe Mutasa said COMSIS could become an important component of the region’s climate adaptation architecture.
“The lesson from El Niño is that countries need to prepare before the drought arrives,” he said. “If COMESA member states know where seed is available, which varieties are drought-tolerant, and where demand is likely to emerge, the region can respond much faster.
“The value of COMSIS will, therefore, be greatest when it is connected to climate information, national agricultural planning and extension services.”
Zimbabwe could champion the integration of COMSIS with national meteorological agencies, agricultural ministries, research institutions, seed companies and farmer organisations.
This would allow seasonal climate forecasts to be translated into practical agricultural decisions.
Where forecasts indicate below-normal rainfall, for instance, farmers could be advised to plant drought-tolerant or short-duration varieties, while governments and seed companies prepare stocks and distribution networks before demand peaks.
The research component will be equally important.
Mr Mutasa said the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), which has extensive expertise in dryland agriculture and climate-resilient crops, could complement national agricultural research institutions and commercial seed companies by strengthening the development and dissemination of varieties suited to drought-prone environments.
Stronger links between researchers, breeders, seed houses and farmers would ensure that COMESA’s emerging seed system is not simply moving more seed across borders, but moving the right seed for changing climatic conditions.
The proposed harmonisation of seed certification and labelling could further strengthen this approach.
Ms Mkwananzi said regulatory differences should not unnecessarily prevent certified seed from moving from countries with adequate stocks to those facing shortages during a drought.
“A common COMESA framework could allow quality-assured seed to move more efficiently across borders while maintaining the necessary quality and biosafety safeguards,” she said.
“Zimbabwe could consequently push for agreed regional standards that facilitate the faster movement of certified planting material during both normal trading periods and climate emergencies.”
Digital verification would also strengthen the system by allowing farmers, agro-dealers and regulators to establish the origin, certification status and characteristics of seed consignments, she added.
This could help tackle counterfeit and poor-quality seed, particularly during droughts when shortages and heightened demand create opportunities for unscrupulous traders.
But regional seed security will require more than government intervention.
Economist Ms Alice Chikonzi said Zimbabwe should use the COMESA platform to encourage private-sector investment in regional seed production.
“The region cannot build climate resilience through public-sector programmes alone. There has to be a commercially viable seed industry producing and distributing the right varieties at scale,” she said.
“Harmonised certification, reliable information and a larger integrated market would give seed companies greater confidence to invest in research, multiplication, storage and distribution.”
A larger, integrated market (COMESA) could drive investment in research and development, seed multiplication, storage and distribution, while giving farmers access to a wider range of high-quality planting materials.
The presence of established companies such as Seed Co means the region already possesses part of the commercial infrastructure required to realise this ambition.
The next challenge is to connect this capacity to regional information systems, research institutions, regulators, financiers and farmers.
“The country could work with Zambia, Malawi, Kenya, Uganda and other COMESA members to establish demonstration corridors for certified and drought-resilient seed.
“Such corridors could test the practical application of COMSIS, harmonised certification and cross-border trade, while identifying regulatory or logistical bottlenecks that need to be addressed,” added Ms Chikonzi.
The COMESA chairmanship could also provide an opportunity to promote regional specialisation in seed multiplication.
Instead of every member state maintaining a complete capacity for all crops, countries could develop comparative advantages around specific, climate-resilient varieties.
Zimbabwe could further push for stronger links between seed security, grain reserves and wider regional food-security mechanisms.
