Constraints and Strategies for the Development of the Seed System in Mozambique

The purpose of this working paper is to help accelerate improvements in seed sector performance by providing a practical framework for reviewing seed sector development strategy in a market economy context. The paper is divided into three major sections. The first section defines what a seed system is and presents a generalized model of the stages of seed sector development over time, identifying the driving forces at each stage. The second part of the paper describes the current organization and performance of Mozambique’s seed sector, concluding with the constraints identified at the first national seed workshop held in Maputo in June 1999. The sector is at present primarily driven by emergency seed supply, most of which is imported.
Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Directorate of Economics, Republic of Mozambique