Victoria Seeds

Access to seeds for smallholder farmers
The company has a strategy for ensuring access to seeds for smallholder farmers in index countries that prioritises research and development, seed production, marketing and sales and capacity building. The strategy includes targets for developing new drought-tolerant hybrid maize varieties every five years and for increasing the number of women smallholder farmers recruited as contract growers.

Quality and safety of varieties and quality assurance and after-sales
The company adheres to national protocols on variety registration by certifying its field crops with the National Seed Certification Service of the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries in Uganda. Victoria Seeds obtains International Seed Testing Association (ISTA) certificates for its vegetable crops and has a quality assurance system to assure germination and vigour. Through a return policy for agro-dealers, the company works to ensure that seeds are not sold beyond their shelf life. The company works to prevent counterfeiting of seeds by using seed packaging from India instead of domestically produced packaging. To provide aftersales support to farmers, Victoria Seeds has a complaint management procedure and conducts field visits to verify and address the complaints.

Governance and accountability
Victoria Seeds’ board of directors is responsible for overseeing its access to seeds strategy for smallholder farmers. However, the company can increase accountability for its strategy by linking its board remuneration policy to its access to seeds targets and objectives.

Stakeholder engagement
Victoria Seeds engages with stakeholders such as the Uganda Seed Trade Association, the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture and the International Fertilizer Development Center (IFDC). The outcomes of the company’s stakeholder engagement activities have been integrated into its access to seeds strategy, such as through its partnership with the Grameen Foundation to offer extension services. The company has an opportunity to disclose how it identifies its most relevant stakeholders.

The company provides limited insight into its position and activities related to genetic resources and intellectual property management. As it is important that seed companies contribute to genetic resources and intellectual property management that supports smallholder agriculture, the company could provide more insights into its activities for others to learn from.

Plant breeding activities in index regions and developing improved varieties of global crops
Victoria Seeds discloses limited information across the research and development measurement area. It has collaborative research activities in the region, for example its partnership with the National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO) to research and develop yellow hybrid maize. The company also contributes to the research and development of local crops through its membership in the Africa Vegetable Breeding Consortium (WorldVeg). However, it could disclose more information about the source of the other varieties of global crops in its product portfolio, and whether these crops are marketed with traits useful to smallholder farmers in index countries.

Seed production activities in index region
The company has seed production activities in Uganda where it involves local players, including smallholder farmers. The company has the opportunity to extend seed production to other countries in the region.

Engaging smallholder farmers in seed production
Victoria Seeds involves smallholder farmers in its seed production activities and discloses that it offers them contracts that provide arrangements on product prices. The company has an opportunity to improve its performance by providing examples of the contracts offered and evidence on how these arrangements are favourable to smallholders.

Quality management in seed production in index countries
The company has an internal management system to ensure quality of its seed production in index countries. However, it has an opportunity to provide evidence and examples of what this quality management system entails.

Social and labour rights in seed production
Victoria Seeds reports it has standards in place for child labour and also health and safety, but it does not share its policies and strategies towards them. The company has the opportunity to provide details on how it monitors compliance with these social standards and disclose how it prevents forced labour and ensures living wages across seed production.

Packaging and labelling
The company offers seed packages that have appropriate sizes for smallholder farmers in the region, including 10 g and 50 g packages. To improve its performance in this area, Victoria Seeds can disclose information on its use of local languages or a track and trace system on its seed packaging.

Other agricultural inputs
The company offers other agricultural inputs. However, it can disclose further information on its marketing and packaging strategies for promoting the sustainable use of those inputs.

Programmes for women farmers and next-generation farmers
The company does not have programmes targeted towards building the capacity of women farmers or next-generation farmers.

Information and communications technology (ICT)
Victoria Seeds provides ICT services that include information on seed prices, farming practices and weather-related alerts. The company reports that this was implemented in June 2021 in partnership with Cabral Tech Ltd and that COVID-19 forced it to actively address its ICT strategy, including social media. However, it has the opportunity to improve its performance in the area by providing examples of these ICT services.

Maize
Vegetable
Soya bean

Cowpea
Groundnut
Maize
Millets
Pigeon pea
Rice, paddy
Sesame
Sorghum
Soya bean
Sunflower

Cabbage
Carrot
Cauliflower
Cucumber
Eggplant
Gourd
Green bean
Lettuce
Melon
Okra
Onion
Pepper (hot)
Pepper (sweet)
Pumpkin
Squash
Tomato
Watermelon

Download the portfolios of all companies in the 2021 index for Eastern and Southern Africa here.