Senegal has made the rebuilding of its national seed stock an absolute priority as part of efforts to achieve food sovereignty.

The Minister of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Livestock, Cheikhou Oumar Ba, said the initiative is aimed at strengthening agricultural productivity and food security in the country.

Mr Ba said this at the opening of a workshop in Dakar organised to review the Senegalese Institute of Agricultural Research’s 2025 seed production performance and plan its programmes for 2026.

According to the minister, food sovereignty depends largely on the country’s ability to produce, multiply and make available high-quality certified seeds to farmers.

“Food sovereignty largely depends on our collective ability to produce, multiply and make available to farmers high-quality certified seeds that are climate-resilient and high-yielding,” he said.

Mr Ba said the research institute produced 49,797 kilogrammes of pre-basic seeds for several strategic crops during the rainy season and mobilised 102,340 kilogrammes during the hot dry season.

He added that private seed growers also produced 572,438 kilogrammes of groundnut seeds, contributing significantly to the country’s seed development efforts.

“These results are encouraging, but they should not be regarded as an end in themselves,” he said.

The minister said the achievements should serve as benchmarks for measuring progress, identifying gaps and determining the additional efforts required to meet national objectives.

He called for the development of a more integrated, efficient and resilient seed system supported by stronger coordination among research institutions, certification and inspection agencies.

Mr Ba also urged seed producers, professional organisations, private companies and financial partners to strengthen collaboration in advancing the country’s agricultural transformation agenda.

Senegal inaugurated a 10-year national seed self-sufficiency programme in 2025, with implementation expected to continue through 2034 as part of broader efforts to enhance food security and agricultural sustainability.

(Xinhua/NAN)