Agriculture
NASC trains officers on digital seed certification, onboard pilot license seed inspectors
The National Agricultural Seeds Council (NASC)has improved the capacity of 25 newly engaged officers on digital seed certification using the National Seed tracker platform.
This is even as the Council has onboarded the licensed Seed Inspectors in some selected pilot states.
Giving his opening remarks at the two-day training workshop on digital seed certification, the Acting Director General, Dr. Ishiak Othman Khalid, said the council is committed to building the capacity of newly recruited certification and scientific office with deep interest in the digital seed certification appraisal system to ensure the system is at par with international best practices.
He said the Council is committed to ensuring that seed companies have the best-improved productivity, increased competitiveness for their seeds in the global seed space, and increased crop yield to compete in the international space.
“Our fundamental focus as a Council is on progressive strengthening and transforming of the practices of stakeholders in the seed value chain, such that the value creation at each level of the chain creates enough vested interest for all players to keep the system going.
“As part of our commitment to ensure national food security through agricultural sustainability and development of the seed industry in Nigeria, the Council has a world-class molecular diagnostic facility which can detect pathogens, variety identification using SSR markers, train purity testing, zygosity test, transgenic detection in GMOs among other tests using diagnostics tools.
The national Seeds tracker is an ICT solution to integrate supply chain functions and life seed systems to the Next Generation. Its vision is to organize seed production information, enable seed quality monitoring and certification, and empower every seed value chain actor to foster sustainable seed production for high productivity and profit.
Also, the Director, of Seed Certification and Quality Control, Ubandoma Mohammed, said the training aimed to enhance the capacity of the newly employed staff, so they would be able to fit effectively into the workings of the Council.
“WE are moving with time due to the technology of the time, we are training on digital seed certification using the national seed tracker. We have gone ICT and our report is partly being covered by our staff on the field using ICT. This training is not only for our staff, we are scaling it down to other stakeholders and the seed companies too.
“The training is very important because the President has declared a state of emergency on the food sector, therefore tasking the Ministry to ensure food availability. As we are speaking now the ministry has commenced distribution of inputs to farmers.
These inspectors are those that would go to the field to ensure that what is been planted are good and that they are seeds the farmers can use to get a good harvest.,” he said.
Agriculture
PULA, Leadway Assurance Disburse ₦396 Million to Climate-Affected Farmers, Strengthen Food Security Efforts
In a major intervention to shield smallholder farmers from climate shocks, agri-insurtech firm PULA has spearheaded the disbursement of ₦396,697,672 in insurance claims to over 40,000 farmers impacted during the 2025 wet season.
The payout, executed in partnership with Leadway Assurance and supported by the Presidential Food Systems Coordinating Unit (PFSCU), covered farmers across Taraba, Borno, Kaduna, and Plateau States who suffered climate-related losses.
The initiative was made possible in part by Bayer Foundation, whose $450,000 premium subsidy support in 2025 wet season helped lower the cost of insurance for thousands of vulnerable smallholders in 8 states, with 4 states receiving payouts. The Foundation is set to scale up its contribution to match the growing aspirations of state governments.
Speaking at the cheque presentation ceremony in Abuja during the 2025 Wet Season Insurance Claims Payout under the National Agribusiness Planning Mechanism (NAPM), PULA’s Nigeria Country Director, Dr. Michael Enahoro, said the initiative goes beyond compensation, insisting that it’s about securing Nigeria’s food systems.
“Our focus is not just on payouts but on increasing food production. We must continue to support farmers who work tirelessly under harsh conditions to feed the nation,” Dr. Enahoro said. He called for stronger policies that directly impact farmers and reaffirmed PULA’s commitment to expanding agricultural insurance as a tool for resilience.
PULA’s data-driven approach to climate risk was key to identifying affected farmers and triggering payments. The company worked with Leadway Assurance to underwrite the risk, while PFSCU aligned the program with the national food security agenda. State governments also supported grassroots enrollment.
Gboyega Lesi, MD/CEO of Leadway Assurance, described the payout as “a reinforcement of a safety net that protects the hard work of thousands of farmers,” adding that “through climate insurance, we ensure that a bad season does not translate into total loss of livelihood.” He commended PULA’s technology and field structure for making rapid, transparent payouts possible.
Ayoola Fatona, Global Head of Agric Solutions at Leadway Assurance, noted that the 2025 wet season brought significant climate variability and yield fluctuations. “The true value of insurance lies in claims payment, especially in challenging periods. Our data-driven partnership with PULA helped mitigate losses,” he said.
Looking ahead, PULA and Leadway Assurance plan to scale coverage to 73,000 farmers in the 2026 farming season, deepening penetration of climate insurance across Nigeria’s food-producing belts.
Commissioners from the beneficiary states commended PULA and Leadway Assurance for de-risking agriculture, restoring farmers’ confidence, and building a more resilient agricultural sector
State-by-state breakdown of claims facilitated by PULA:
- Taraba State: ₦154,308,035
- Borno State: ₦127,192,472
- Kaduna State: ₦69,726,150
- Plateau State: ₦45,471,015
Total: ₦396.7 million.
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