Mozambique

Seed sector in Mozambique

Agriculture employs 70% of Mozambique’s population and makes up 24% of its GDP. The average size of a smallholder farm is 1.2 hectares and accounts for 90% of the country’s cultivated land, which is used by over 3.9 million households.

While no seed laws or seed policies are currently implemented in Mozambique, the 12/2013 Seed Regulation decree, which is harmonized with Southern Africa Development Community regulations, is the regulatory body governing seed activity registration and the release of new varieties. It defines rules for seed production, inspection and commercialization, as well as seed quality control. It established the National Seed Committee (NSC), as an advisory committee to the Ministry of Agriculture, and also the Subcommittee for Variety Registration and Release, as the technical advisory committee to the NSC for registering new varieties.

The Regulation of Plant Breeder Rights Decree 26/2008 was reviewed to align with UPOV guidelines and then approved as the Protection of New Plant Varieties decree 26/2014, though this regulation has not yet been implemented. The main policy instruments guiding the seed sector are the Strategic Plan of Development of the Agricultural Sector, which operates through the Program for Strengthening of the Seed Chain, and the Comprehensive Seed Regulation.

The Instituto de Investigação Agrária de Moçambique is a government institution mandated to coordinate and conduct agricultural research within the country. It conducts local variety breeding, under the Directorate of Agronomy and Natural Resources.

Observations

There are 17 index companies in Mozambique, though none are headquartered in the country. Companies from neighboring countries carry out the most significant activities along the seed value chain.

Seed Co, founded in Zimbabwe, has testing and production locations in Mozambique and is the only company with a breeding program, for field crops. Capstone Seeds, based in South Africa, is the only company with a processing location. It also tests seed, and other than Klein Karoo Africa (also based in South Africa) it is the only company that engages smallholders in seed production.

Vegetable companies East-West Seed and Technisem also have testing locations, and Klein Karoo Africa and Technisem also provide extension services for smallholder farmers.