On January 23, 2020, key stakeholders in agriculture held a National High Level Roundtable meeting that was meant to initiate a public private partnership (PPP) approach for local seed production, whereby the private sector will lead the production and marketing of locally produced certified seeds.
The half-day meeting was attended by policy makers, private seed companies, civil society and other stakeholders involved in seed production and marketing.
During the meeting, participants discussed coordinated actions for public and private sectors to support a smooth transition of the marketing and distribution role performed by Rwanda Agriculture and Animal Resources Development Board (RAB), especially for its varieties, to the private sector.
According to officials, this approach guarantees market for seed producers of RAB owned and fosters complementarities between private companies producing RAB owned and privately owned varieties, locally.
Speaking during the roundtable meeting, Minister of Agriculture and Animal Resources, Dr Gerardine Mukeshimana, said that the new move would see the government concentrating on seed research and regulation activities while the private sector will take the lead in producing and marketing seeds.
Participants from the private and public sectors provided their inputs that will be incorporated into an agreement to be signed by both sides to streamline seed industry in Rwanda.
The ultimate goal is to ensure that sufficient quantities of locally produced quality seeds are availed to farmers timely. This is in line with PSTA4 targets to attain utilization of improved seeds use by 75% of farmers by 2024