Kiambu, Narok and Uasin Gishu have been identified among the counties affected by counterfeit seeds.
Seed Trade Association of Kenya executive officer Duncan Onduu said Kiambu is notorious and there is an ongoing court case.
Oduu said they are working with the Anti-Counterfeit Authority of Kenya, Kenya Bureau of Standards, KEPHIS and other organisations, to help members know if a particular seed variety is certified or not.
He spoke on Thursday during a field day in KALRO-Kiboko, on sorghum and pearl millet hybrid parents research consortium.
It was organised by the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics.
Those found guilty will be charged with additional violations of the Anti-Counterfeiting Act, which increases total fines from the current maximum of Sh1 million to about Sh3 million.
He said a farmer can know if the seeds are genuine or not through a seed sticker label, which they can scratch and send the code to 1393.
“This is free on all the three mobile networks. The farmer will get immediate feedback on whether the variety which they want to plant is certified or not,” Onduu said.
“If the seed is not certified, there is a number which the farmer can call and get redress on the issue from KEPHIS.”
According to the Plant Varieties and Seeds Regulations (MALFC, 2016b), all certified seeds sold in packets of five kilos and below must have a verification sticker affixed to the seed packets.
“However there have been 85 per cent improvement in ensuring quality certified seeds in the market since the Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Services introduced labels on seed packets,” Onduu said.
“Farmers can scratch the 12-digit code to know if the seeds they have bought are genuine or not. This has increased the confidence level and countries in the COMESA region have borrowed the idea.”
A study commissioned by STAK showed the level of awareness on labels ranged from 65 to 100 per cent with an average of 85 per cent.
The study recommended increasing awareness of the seed sticker labels through agro-dealers to convey the message to farmers on the benefits of seed labels.
Edited by Kiilu Damaris
