New seed tracking system to expose counterfeiters

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The government, through the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries, is in the process of rolling out an online seed tracking system across the seed value chain aimed at eliminating counterfeit seed.

The tracking system, which is in its final stages, was first initiated by the Integrated Seed Sector Development (ISSD) programme and was later taken over by AGRA. To prepare for the system, a total of 104 para-seed inspectors have been trained on how to manage the tool while in the field, according to Moses Edward Erongu, Senior Seed Inspector at the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries.

Erongu explained that the tracking system is currently being piloted among selected seed companies before being rolled out across the entire seed production chain, from breeder seed and pre-basic seed to basic seed and the certification process.

“We are piloting the system with some seed companies as the first stage of deployment; later, we will go to multipliers, out growers and all other uses,” he said.

He added that the system has an inbuilt digital mechanism and a QR code that gives farmers information about the authenticity or originality of the seed when scanned using internet-enabled phones.

For farmers without internet-enabled phones, he said, they will be able to use a USSD number that will be made available during the final rollout of the innovation.

Impact of the system on extension workers

Apart from protecting farmers from counterfeit seed, the system will also allow authorities to monitor field officers, who have been falsifying field reports, because it is GPS-enabled.

“We are going to deploy colleagues who have been trained to carry out these inspections and will be tracked in the system. As they do the inspection, they will be adding data in the system on-site. So, you will not sit in an office and complete a report without going to the field; the system will track you,” Erongu added.

“Issues of inspectors not attending to their fields, or inspectors filling up specific fields without going to the field, will face disciplinary action,” he added.

Getting to the farmer

He explained that the system is being piloted among seed companies alongside paper records, which is the manual method of data collection.

“We want to see how stable the system is alongside paper-based data collection, then later will phase out paperwork because it is tedious and hard to trace. This GPS-enabled, the location shall be known, which means evidence can be generated while still in the field,” he added.

Erongu made the remarks while demonstrating the tracking system during the release of the 2025 report on Uganda’s formal seed sector to stakeholders on May 6, 2026, at Fairway Hotel in Kampala. The report was conducted by the African Seed Access Index (TASAI).

Regarding quality seed management, the report noted that most seed companies access breeder seed from the National Agricultural Research Organisation (NARO) through its trading arm, NARO Holdings.

Despite the progress, the report called for additional efforts to eliminate counterfeit seed from Uganda’s food system. One of the recommendations is the registration of all seed sellers as provided for under Article 8(2) of the Seed and Plant Act. The report added that registration should be conducted in collaboration with the Agro Chemicals Board of Uganda, district local governments and other stakeholders.

Officiating as the chief guest, Dr Asio Mary Teddy, assistant commissioner in charge of Seed Inspection and Certification, said data collected from the report will help the ministry identify gaps in the seed system and plan accordingly.