Burkina Faso Country Report 2020

The timely availability of improved seeds at affordable prices is critical to improving food security, resilience, and livelihoods for smallholder farmers in Burkina Faso. Seed of improved varieties can deliver state-of-the-art technology to farmers including higher yields, disease and pest resistance, climate change adaptation, and improved nutrition. This report summarizes the key findings of the study conducted by The African Seed Access Index (TASAI) to appraise the structure and economic performance of Burkina Faso’s formal seed sector. With a focus on the four grain and legume crops important to national food and nutritional security (maize, rice, sorghum, and cowpea) the report covers 22 key performance indicators divided into five categories: Research and Development, Industry Competitiveness, Seed Policy and Regulations, Institutional Support, and Service to Smallholder Farmers. We conclude that Burkina Faso’s formal seed sector is in the early growth stage of development. The country’s seed policy environment is conducive to private sector growth, and the seed law and several regulations are currently under review to align them with the harmonized Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) seed regulations. The seed market is competitive with manysmall-scale seed producers, , who each account for a small market share. At the same time, the large number of producers makes it difficult for the quality assurance services due to adequately track all producers. The government agricultural inputs subsidy program Opération 100 000 charrues or Operation of 100,000 ploughs is the largest buyer of seed, accounting for more than two-thirds of all seed sales for the four focus crops in 2019. While the subsidy program is catalyzing the production of certified seed and its uptake by farmers, there is a need to speed up the payment processes and the program’s predictability. In addition to these highlights, the report discusses many positive developments as well as areas for improvement in Burkina Faso’s formal seed sector