APRIL-MAY 2002
(SUMMARY)
VI.1. EMERGENCY SEED SITUATION IN BENEFICIARY VILLAGES
Villagers receiving seed from ICARDA and FAO through NGO's, repeatedly stressed that if they had not received seed, there would have been no seed to plant. Some were returned refugees; all had suffered from the extended drought. As one said (through a translator) "if we had not received seed from ICARDA, there would have been no seed and no planting. We had no seed, and no money to buy it if we could find it."
In some villages visited, ICARDA-supplied seed planted about 85% (estimated by local farmers/NGO staff) of the fields. The remaining 15% were not planted. Farmers preferred to plant in the fall due to higher yields, but there was little fall planting because they did not have seed at that time. More seed was often requested from NGO's, but the supply was limited to 50 kg/farmer, and the supply was exhausted.
Asked how they would get seed for fall planting, the farmers did not really know.
VI.2. EMERGENCY SEED SUPPLY IN SPRING, 2002
VI.2.1. Future Harvest Consortium/ICARDA
FHC, through ICARDA, provided 3,500 MT of wheat seed for spring planting. The seed, imported from Pakistan's Punjab Seed Corporation of varieties tested in Afghanistan, was distributed to farmers within less than 20 days. The seed was certified by the Pakistan certification system, field-inspected and laboratory-tested it as external quality control.
Seed are distributed by NGO's. FAO and ICARDA pay the NGO's US$50/ton of seed distributed to farmers, for handling costs. NGO's delivered seed directly to farmers identified and selected as most appropriate recipients. FHC/ICARDA operates primarily in the Northeast Provinces of Samangan, Baghlan, Takhar, and Badakhshan, from its office in Kunduz..
VI.2.2. Farmer Satisfaction With ICARDA Seed
Germination appears to have been excellent; good stands were obtained. All farmers visited, and reports from others, indicate high satisfaction with seed quality and germination.
VI.2.3. FAO
FAO and ICARDA/FHC have provided seed in separate areas. Seed produced by the FAO program was supplied, also through NGO's reportedly over 5,000 MT.
VI.3. SEED SUPPLY, FALL 2002 AND SPRING 2003
VI.3.1. Emergency Seed Needs, Fall 2002
There will be a shortage of seed for fall planting. Estimates of emergency seed needs for fall planting are some 27,000-30,000 MT of wheat seed.
VI.3.2. ICARDA/Future Harvest Consortium (FHC)
ICARDA is producing stock seed for Afghanistan, under the international-standard certification program in Syria.
For distribution to farmers, ICARDA/FHC will prepare 10,000 MT of field-inspected/ tested seed produced in Afghanistan, where ICARDA has trained field inspectors. Seed will be of the varieties Pamir-94, gul-96, Inqilab-91, Roshan-96, rona-96, and Bakhtawar-96, all performance-tested in Afghanistan, facultative varieties from the FAWWON-CIMMYT (Facultative Winter Wheat Observation Nurseries-CIMMYT).
VI.3.3. FAO
Fall 2002 wheat seed supply of the FAO/WFP program of paying contract growers with food grain (1.25 kg WFP food grain is exchanged for 1.0 kg of seed) is up to 5,000 MT of "quality-declared" seed. Another 5,000 MT may be purchased from contract growers with cash funds expected. Commercial seed, from crops produced from "quality-declared" seed, could be procured up to some 10,000 MT, from the program's 4,000+ trained contract growers.