Enhancing national availability of early generation seeds of improved varieties with focus on sorghum and millet

Cereals, primarily sorghum, maize, millet and rice are the dominant staple food crops in South Sudan. Agricultural production in South Sudan remain largely under traditional sector with low yield. In the cereal subsector, the vast majority of farmers do not use high yielding seed, nor do they use fertilizer, as a result South Sudan average yield of cereals is 0.97 t/ha, far below the average yield in the region. The major seed sources are own saved seed (55.9%) and local market (41.4%) while seed aid (1.5%) and social network (1.2%) play insignificant roles as seed sources. Increased agricultural productivity can only result from intensive utilization and the adoption of appropriate technological packages including improved seeds/planting materials adapted to different agro-ecological zones. The Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (MAFS) has the major responsibility of creating and promoting an enabling environment for vibrant seed industry through development of effective policies and strategies. MAFS is mandated to facilitate research, provide advisory and information services, undertake review of policies and regulatory frameworks, and ensure sanitary and phytosanitary measures. It also facilitates collaboration among various stakeholders such as researchers, seed merchants, farmers, NGOs, CBOs and development partners. The Directorate of Agricultural Research of the MAFS is involved in development of new technology.