By Maimuna Sey-Jawo
The newly established Variety Release and Registered Committee (VRC) in The Gambia under the authority of the National Seed Secretariat Council, has held its first meeting at the council secretariat conference Hall in Abuko
The day-long convergence aims to update the national varieties catalogue in conformity with ECOWAS seed harmonisation and also to develop the skills and procedures of the VRC, in the registration and release of varieties.
Speaking at the opening ceremony Morro Manga, head of the national seed secretariat council expressed gratitude to host the first VRC meeting, and thanked the members of the committee for advancing the agenda toward a sustainable seed system for The Gambia.
Manga added that the aim of the Variety Release and Registration Committee under the national seed council is administering new variety in to the international catalogue, saying that if the variety is not registered it will not be admitted and will not be certifying on the national seed program.
Seed certification, he went on, is a multi-step crop improvement procedure, starting from variety development to seed utilization by farmers. He said it is a legislation base procedure in which a variety release committee VRC is the first step to reach the crop lands and purposes for which it has been developed.
Manga thus challenged the VRC members to do justice during the forum with a view to mapping the way forward, thus commended Professor Josiah Wobil, while describing him as the man behind the success of the national seed secretariat council.
For her part, Madam Hafsa Joof dwelled on the significance of the forum. The meeting, she noted, will avail them the opportunity to discuss and map out the way forward in order to have good system and a sustainable system of seed in The Gambia.
Professor Josiah Wobil, a consultant who is also a Seed Industry Advisor expressed pleasure to be associated with The Gambia National Seed Secretariat Council. He spoke at length on the significance of the forum, adding that it will enable them the prospect to come out with tangible strategies with a view to enabling The Gambia achieve its aims and objectives in the area of quality seed.
