Cisanet takes Seed Act to law enforcers
The Civil Society Agriculture Network (Cisanet) has emphasized the need to involve law enforcement agencies such as the police in ensuring effective adherence to provisions of the Seed Act.
This was said over the weekend when the network engaged police officers in Blantyre to enlighten them about the law and how they can help in its effective implementation.
Cicanet National Director Lilian Saka said the police, as law enforcement agent, are critical in ensuring that the citizenry adhere to tenets of the law.
“The police are the ones who enforce the law and we would like them to know about the law so that when they are doing their work of crime prevention, they should be able to identify offenders in the seed sector and bring them to book,” she said.
The Seed Act aims at addressing the problem of the proliferation of fake seeds on the market which agriculturalists believe results in low yields for the country and food insecurity.
Police officers who attended the meeting applauded Cisanet for the gesture indicating that the workshop was an eye opener.
The workshop was conducted in partnership with Alliance for Green Revolution in Africa (Agra).
One of the officials from Agra Esau Phiri said the bedrock for agriculture transformation in Malawi is seed therefore the seed need to be well taken care of to achieve food security.
“We have put in place awareness programs that involve all stakeholders so that the message is taken even into rural areas so that farmers make their decisions on seed from an informed point of view,” he added.
The law will regulate the production, storage, transportation and sell of seed in a bid to ensure that the quality of seed is preserved to the farmer.
Justin Mkweu is a fast growing reporter who currently works with Times Group on the business desk.
He is however flexible as he also writes about current affairs and national issues.
