A Chairman With the Energy to Make a Difference

In matters of seeds and grains, he is unquestionably an authority, and he commands the respect of his peers, colleagues and competitors alike. His understanding of the business has been gained through his commitment to give the best service to his country. Captain (Rtd) Gichanga Karanja, himself a respected business manager with an entrepreneurial leaning could not have been more resourceful than serving the sector he loves most, the seed sector as their chairman. Mr. Masila Kanyingi, Editor Cereal Magazine had a 30 minutes tete-a-tete with him.

In a nutshell describe the seed sector in Kenya
The seed sector is the backbone of Kenya’s economic growth. Farmers need to get quality and the right seed variety for higher production per unit. Costly and timeconsuming regulations make it harder for farmers to get the best available seed. They also limit farmers’ access to exciting innovations such as drought-tolerant crop varieties. This hurts agricultural productivity, which is Kenya’s best hope for boosting food security, employment, and economic development.

We need to make our national seed industry more efficient, innovative, and competitive so that it can offer farmers a wider range of high-yielding crop varieties. Without many bureaucratic hurdles, companies can produce a higher volume and wider range of high-quality, affordable seed.

Discuss Genetically Modified Seeds
Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) can be defined as organisms (i.e. plants, animals or microorganisms) in which the genetic material (DNA) has been altered in a way that does not occur naturally by mating and/or natural recombination.

GM foods are developed – and marketed – because there is some perceived advantage either to the producer or consumer of these foods. This is meant to translate into a product with a lower price, greater benefit (in terms of durability or nutritional value) or both. GM seed developers have concentrated on innovations that bring direct benefit to farmers (and the food industry generally).

One of the objectives for developing plants based on GM organisms is to improve crop protection. The GM crops currently on the market are mainly aimed at an increased level of crop protection through the introduction of resistance against plant diseases caused by insects or viruses or through increased tolerance towards herbicides.

Is GM Seeds Safe for Kenyan Market?
Genetically Engineering seed production is a global exercise and some of the major producers are the largest multinationals in the Kenyan Market. Government and Research Institutions in collaboration with private companies in bio-engineering should assess individual GM seeds and their safety on a case-by-case basis but not a general statement on the safety of all GM seeds. Global warming is a phenomenon the country should prepare for and the only way out is a broad based approach. Government, research institutions and private companies in bio-engineering seeds research should team up to mitigate climate change, promote resistant and tolerant varieties as one of the ways of addressing food insecurity.

The National Biosafety Authority which implements the Cartagena protocol on Biosafety in order to address safety for the environment and human health in relation to modern biotechnology has been busy regulating research and commercial activities involving GMOs. Still under confined trials and not open farmers fields for open trials are some drought tolerant maize and cotton varieties. A research institute has applied for open field trials but it is yet to be licensed.

The Authority has tried to establish a transparent science-based and predictable process to guide decision making on applications for approval of research and commercial activities involving GMOs. As an industry, technology is good in terms of increasing production per unit area.

STAK is open for new technologies whether conventional or genetic engineering based. All technologies should be evaluated and thoroughly re-evaluated on their effects on human beings, animals and environment. The industry urges both public and government to be ready to accept new technology when need arises.

Briefly Discuss the Impact of Counterfeits to the Seed Sector
This is a very good question. Counterfeits are the biggest competitors to the formal and informal seed players. Established criminals use well known and established brands to cheat on consumers. This is slowly fighting government’s effort towards food security in the country. It is a barrier for the nation to produce enough and feed its own citizens. Any barrier towards self sustainability must be fought with the pangs it deserves. Counterfeit is among them, it touches peoples’ lives.

The unscrupulous businessmen cheat out consumers, sabotage the economy and discredit both our products and professional ethics. On consumer level, the impact is great to their health and crops. The companies producing seeds are also affected dearly by the crime. On the other side the government is also loosing through revenue, scaring of investors and some investors may also close shop. The impact is huge and if unchecked could lead to fatalities.

So, what is STAK doing to ensure that the menace does not get out of control?
By a stroke of a pen, no one can rid off counterfeits, as said earlier, it is an established industry by itself. But having said that, let me point out that statistics show a reducing figure. This is as a result of an all inclusive approach with the industry, regulatory bodies, government enforcing arms and the public participating. The media has also played a key role.

STAK has also partnered with seed regulatory authority to introduce electronic labels/tags on seed packs. This gives room to the farmer to send a Short Message System (SMS) and confirms that the seeds inside the pack are genuine and are from a recognised seed company. They can also confirm whether they have been inspected and authorised by KEPHIS. Members have also gone further and introduced advanced seed grain kernel marking methods which farmers can easily identify.

Secondly information is power. STAK has invested in disseminating information to create public awareness. In this we are using the both mainstream and social media, farmer and agro-stockist trainings among other means. In this act we have empowered the people. As a continual process members are advocating and training on good ethics and dangers posed by use of counterfeits daily in radios and other communication channels.STAK also took part in lobbying for the new punitive legislation to anyone convicted of the offence. The legislation has also ensured all loopholes have been sealed.

Farmers have complained of expensive farm inputs, Discuss
Responsibility, commitment and integrity are key virtues of human beings. Despite the sensitivity of this matter, each side (Government, farmers and millers) has been pulling on its end and blaming the other. It has turned into a game of cards. But we all seem to be in agreement on the end result: We want agriculture to thrive for the benefit of Kenya’s people and economy. What we need to do now is formally agree on the best way to achieve this goal. So, let us face the fact. Inputs are expensive in all fronts.

The government needs to do what many countries have done - get rid of regulations that make it expensive to supply farmers with quality seed. In their place, set high standards for seed quality and stiff penalties for non-compliance. And then let the industry decide how best to meet these standards. These regulations will not only ensure competitive prices for agricultural production inputs but also allow competition.

The government also needs to clean up the inefficiencies of the public grain buying authorities in addition to regulating against grain cartels and open the market. The government has kept on saying they have subsidized fertilizers. But the channel used will never help the farmer. Efficient subsidy of seeds, fertilizers and agrochemicals should be done through the agro-dealers and other private players. This will ensure farmers get the right quality and quantity in time.

We need to make our production more efficient, innovative, and competitive so that we can improve on production cost per unit and stop crying on better prices. Efficient farming methods will add yield per unit area. Take, for example, maize which is the main crop in Kenya. There is room for farmers to improve productivity to 30 bags per hectare. This will need professional advice from extension staff and quality inputs purchased in time and at government subsidized prices.

In the same wave length farmers need to take farming as a business not as a by the way activity and give it a serious approach (feed themselves and sale surplus to make money). Both the national and county government should help farmers plant what does well in their area (Crops and Varieties). Maize is not the only crop for all small scale farmers; sorghum is better in semi-arid areas and also more nutritious and marketable. Farmers should also understand their rain patterns, soil type among many other basic things many small scale farmers need to know to increase yield per unit.

How do you see the future of the seed sector?
The seed sector is the backbone of Kenya’s food security agenda. It will remain vibrant with more players coming in. However, the importance of research cannot be gainsaid with the current changes happening globally. There is need for government to increase research funding to the universities and other research institutions in addition to more collaboration with private players.

Give your final remarks
Innovation is the key to production as well as processing of knowledge. Indeed a nation’s ability to convert knowledge into wealth and social good through processing information determines the future of any nation. The purpose of innovation is to create a new value for individual, team or organization, or for a society at large. New values could be in form of breakthrough products or services, new strategies, new policies, new processes and new methods of organization. Kenya needs dissemination of information to the farmer to make him knowledgeable for better production per unit area.