Data-Driven Seeds Strategic Lever For Agribusiness Growth – National Agricultural Seeds Council

Nigeria’s agribusiness sector is increasingly turning to seed variety adoption as a strategic lever for productivity, investment confidence and supply chain stability.

According to insights shared by the director-general of the National Agricultural Seeds Council (NASC), Fatuhu Muhammed, at the official launch of the ProSeV project in Abuja, seed variety adoption is not merely a farming decision but a foundational business issue with far-reaching implications for processors, investors, financiers, and policymakers.

The ProSeV project focused on generating credible, location-specific performance data for rice, maise and cowpea to guide farmers, seed companies, extension services and policymakers.

In his keynote address, Muhammed noted that seeds remain the most critical input in agricultural production, with the power to drive yield improvements, climate resilience, pest and disease resistance, better nutrition and long-term sustainability.

With Nigeria’s population continuing to grow, seed technology, he said, will be central to meeting food security needs while transforming agriculture into a reliable, investable enterprise.

From a business perspective, one of the sector’s most significant historical constraints has been the lack of credible data on what seed varieties farmers actually plant and how those varieties perform after release. Traditional assessment methods, farmer recall, visual identification and administrative reporting have struggled to capture the realities of farmers’ fields, where recycled seeds, informal exchanges and mixed varieties are common.

This information gap, Muhammed explained, has had direct commercial consequences: seed producers plan under uncertainty, processors face inconsistent quality and volumes, investors lack confidence in yield assumptions, and policy interventions are often designed without robust evidence. Closing this gap is therefore essential for agribusiness growth.

He emphasised that variety adoption data is not merely descriptive but strategic. Reliable data improves productivity forecasting and supply chain predictability, strengthens seed systems by discouraging counterfeit seeds, and reduces risk for financiers by providing verified performance metrics. In this way, data helps reposition agriculture from a high-risk activity into a bankable business.

Nigeria, he said, is already building a foundation through NASC’s implementation of the Institutionalising Monitoring of Crop Variety Adoption through Genotyping (IMAGE) Project. By using DNA fingerprinting rather than perception-based methods, the project accurately identifies which varieties are grown, how widely they are adopted and how they move across the seed system.

National surveys covering rice, maise, cassava and cowpea have generated field-level insights across agro-ecological zones, offering agribusinesses more credible planning tools.

The DG highlighted recent progress in the seed sector, noting that agriculture contributes about 25 per cent of Nigeria’s GDP and employs over 70 per cent of the rural population, yet productivity remains below potential. To address this, NASC has facilitated the distribution of more than 120,000 metric tons of certified seeds, benefiting millions of smallholder farmers.

He said, “Seed variety adoption is not just an agronomic decision; it is a strategic business choice that determines productivity, supply chain reliability, and investor confidence across the agribusiness ecosystem. When farmers adopt the right varieties, agriculture shifts from a high-risk venture into a predictable and investable enterprise. For too long, seed production, processing, and policy decisions have been made without reliable evidence of what farmers actually plant in their fields. By applying science-based tools such as DNA fingerprinting, we are now able to generate accurate, objective, and credible data that allows agribusinesses to plan better, investors to assess risk more confidently, and regulators to protect the integrity of the seed system. Nigeria’s seed sector is undergoing a quiet but significant transformation. Through improved access to certified seeds, digital distribution systems, strategic international partnerships, and strong regulatory frameworks, we are laying the foundation for a competitive agribusiness sector that can drive food security, create jobs, and contribute sustainably to national economic growth.”