West African Catalogue of Plant Species and Varieties

Abstract

The West African Catalogue of Plant Species and Varieties (COAFEV) is a major tool of seed regulation harmonization that has been implemented by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA), and the Permanent Interstate Committee for Drought Control in the Sahel (CILSS). It provides a limitative list of varieties or varietal type whose seed may be produced and commercialized within the region. It is the aggregate of the varieties registered in the national catalogues of the Member States. This first version also contains, for a transition phase, the most widely disseminated varieties in the countries of the region. Eleven species are included: pearl millet, sorghum, maize, rice, groundnut, cowpea, yam, cassava, Irish potato, onion and tomato. The objective of this catalogue is to simplify the procedures required for a variety to be commercialized in West Africa, while at the same t ime guaranteeing the quality of those varieties. This system will therefore give farmers in the region access to a wider diversity of varieties relevant to West African agriculture.