In Ethiopia, local farmers have a great need for good onion seed from local OP varieties. However, a good inspection system is lacking, so there is a lot of poor quality on the market. SNV asked Naktuinbouw to share its knowledge in the field of inspections with the local government.
If the government of Ethiopia has a good system of official controls, this will ultimately also help Dutch companies that want to produce seed for the world market in this country. Dirk-Jan Beerepoot and Marjan Folkers visited the country from 16 to 21 May to assess what is needed.
In addition to many cultivation technical recommendations, they made suggestions for adapting the legislation. This is now strongly based on certification of seed of agricultural crops (maize, grain). However, this does not suit vegetable seeds and certainly not Open Pollinated (OP) varieties. SNV will work with all recommendations.