Who to Blame for the Infected Maize Seeds Saga?

 

Analysis

Rwanda Agriculture Board (RAB) has said that it is closely monitoring the maize planted recently in the Northern and Western provinces, after reports that some of the maize varieties distributed to farmers in these areas could have contained a deadly disease.
Last week, the Minister of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry, Dr Agnes Kalibata, speaking from Rulindo district, confirmed that the maize seeds that were supplied to the two provinces are subject to a follow up, after laboratory samples showed they were infected.
Under the Crop Intensification Programme, the ministry supplies seeds for maize, wheat and soya beans to farmers growing these crops on a large scale and most of the seeds are locally produced while about 25 per cent is imported.
RAB officials told this paper this week that over 1,500 tonnes of the maize seeds were imported by three companies at different intervals.
The companies are Seedco, a Zimbabwean-based company with an office in Kigali, Pannar, from South Africa, and Kenya Seed Company from Kenya.
About 100 tonnes of Hybrid Pannar 691 distributed to farmers in the Northern Province were found attacked by a virus called Maize Chlorotic Mottle Virus (MCMV).

During an interview, an official working with one of the importers said, on condition of anonymity, that "the virus is endemic in Africa and would not cause harm on its own, but when combined with another virus called Sugar Cane Mosaic Virus (SCMV), it makes devastating impact."
The official said the combination becomes the Maize Lethal Necrosis Disease (MLND), which would result in quarantining the affected region, "like it happened once in Kenya."
"The maize is actually not infected with MLND, but the Agriculture ministry is legitimately acting quickly to avoid any possibility of this virus making it to Rwanda."
RAB technicians are now taking more samples from farmers to get accurate information on the matter and farmers who acquired seeds from the stock said to be infected were requested to not plant more, until further notice, and they will have to uproot the infected seeds.