The Minister of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Livestock, Mabouba Diagne, assured, at the closing of the national workshop dedicated to the Seed Sovereignty Strategy 2025–2034, that "seeds are governance, they are transparency, the very foundation of our food sovereignty."

According to him, national control of seeds is now a strategic duty in a global geopolitical context where the seed market is worth 92 billion dollars.

Over three days, participants from technical services, research, the private sector, and farmers' organizations conducted a comprehensive assessment of the national seed system. Several structural constraints were identified, including a lack of qualified human resources for control and certification; insufficient logistical and financial resources; outdated laboratories and sorting infrastructure; weak enforcement of regulatory texts; and persistent difficulties faced by ISRA in the production and conservation of basic seeds.

These findings reflect the need for in-depth reform of the sector, based on performance, coordination and accountability.

The Minister reassured that, under the leadership of the President of the Republic, the government has made food sovereignty a national priority, and the seed strategy is its central pillar. The National Seed Sovereignty Strategy 2025–2034 will be structured around four major axes: strengthening the governance and coordination of the national seed system; ensuring the availability, quality, and traceability of certified seeds; stimulating private and foreign investment in production and distribution; and modernizing certification and monitoring tools through digitalization.

Priority actions will be undertaken from the 2025–2026 agricultural campaign, including national mapping of seed producers and multipliers; the creation of a buffer stock of basic seeds; the implementation of the Seed Sector Support Fund (FASS); the digitalization of the national seed register as well as the creation of regional production and distribution centers.

These measures aim to produce tangible results by 2026 and to make Senegal a producer, exporter and regulator of its own certified seeds.

For Mabouba Diagne, the success of this ambition depends on an inclusive approach, mobilizing all stakeholders, institutions, researchers, producers, communities, and the private sector. "Seed sovereignty is not just a technical ambition; it is an act of sovereignty and a national duty," the minister said.