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Political and economic features of the maize seed industry in southern Africa

Author

Listed:
  • G.T. Kassie
  • O. Erenstein
  • W. Mwangi
  • J. MacRobert
  • P. Setimela
  • B. Shiferaw

Abstract

The seed industry in southern Africa (Angola, Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia and Zimbabwe) has three important features: first, dominance of the government as buyer and distributor of seed; second, a high market share and power of few seed companies; and third, a sustained but incomplete effort to harmonize the seed policy in the region. The challenges the seed industry is facing are lack of basic seed, poor production infrastructure, lack of skill in seed production, challenges to access and multiply seeds of varieties released from public institutions, lack of purchasing power among smallholder farmers, high transaction cost of seed marketing, market-distorting interventions by governments, lack and misuse of market information, free riding, lack of working capital financing, and breaching of contract by seed growers. Important policy implications have been drawn from this study, which include strengthening national research systems, strategic capacity building along the maize seed value chain, improving the access to financial services, developing and implementation of agreed protocols of SADC for seed policy harmonization.

Suggested Citation

  • G.T. Kassie & O. Erenstein & W. Mwangi & J. MacRobert & P. Setimela & B. Shiferaw, 2013. "Political and economic features of the maize seed industry in southern Africa," Agrekon, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 52(2), pages 104-127, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:ragrxx:v:52:y:2013:i:2:p:104-127
    DOI: 10.1080/03031853.2013.798067
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Smale, Melinda & Jayne, T.S., 2003. "Maize in Eastern and Southern Africa: 'seeds' of success in retrospect," EPTD discussion papers 97, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    2. Smale, Melinda, 1995. ""Maize is life": Malawi's delayed Green Revolution," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 23(5), pages 819-831, May.
    3. Smale, Melinda & Byerlee, Derek & Jayne, Thom S., 2011. "Maize Revolutions in Sub-Saharan Africa," Working Papers 202592, Egerton University, Tegemeo Institute of Agricultural Policy and Development.
    4. Langyintuo, Augustine S. & Mwangi, Wilfred & Diallo, Alpha O. & MacRobert, John F. & Dixon, John & Banziger, Marianne, 2008. "An analysis of the bottlenecks affecting the production and deployment of maize seed in Eastern and Southern Africa," Economics Program Papers 56189, CIMMYT: International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center.
    5. Rusike, Joseph, 1995. "The development of maize seed markets in Sub-Saharan Africa," MTID discussion papers 5, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    6. Hassan, Rashid M. & Mekuria, Mulugetta & Mwangi, Wilfred, 2001. "Maize Breeding Research In Eastern And Southern Africa: Current Status And Impacts Of Past Investments Made By The Public And Private Sectors, 1966-97," Impact Studies 23723, CIMMYT: International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center.
    7. MacRobert, John F., 2009. "Seed Business Management in Africa," Manuals 56174, CIMMYT: International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center.
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    Cited by:

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    3. Clifton Makate & Marshall Makate, 2022. "Do Rainfall Shocks Prompt Commercial Input Purchases Amongst Smallholder Farmers in Diverse Regions and Environments in Malawi?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(22), pages 1-31, November.
    4. Jason Donovan & Pieter Rutsaert & Ciro Domínguez & Meliza Peña, 2022. "Capacities of local maize seed enterprises in Mexico: Implications for seed systems development," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 14(2), pages 509-529, April.
    5. Clifton Makate & Arild Angelsen & Stein Terje Holden & Ola Tveitereid Westengen, 2024. "Smallholder access to purchased seeds in the presence of pervasive market imperfections and rainfall shocks: panel data evidence from Malawi and Ethiopia," Agricultural and Food Economics, Springer;Italian Society of Agricultural Economics (SIDEA), vol. 12(1), pages 1-28, December.
    6. Erenstein, Olaf & Kassie, Girma Tesfahun, 2018. "Seeding eastern Africa’s maize revolution in the post-structural adjustment era: a review and comparative analysis of the formal maize seed sector," International Food and Agribusiness Management Review, International Food and Agribusiness Management Association, vol. 21(1).

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