Seed Co targets 275pc growth in maize yield

Seed CO Zimbabwe, one of Africa’s leading seed producers, is targeting to increase Zimbabwe’s maize yield to 3 tonnes per hectare from the current average output of 0,8 tonnes through a series of initiatives aimed at commercialising grain production.

Managing director Denias Zaranyika, said there were initiatives lined up for large and small holder farmers geared towards ensuring local farmers not only adopt good farming practices, but increase their productivity to above average potential of local hybrids.

“The next stage of our challenge is to ensure that we commercialise the smallholder sector. We want to see a paradigm shift from smallholder subsistence to small — large maize farming businesses,” Zaranyika told a media cocktail on Wednesday.

“In this respect, the ultimate challenge is to raise maize productivity levels from the current average of about 0,8 tonnes per hectare to over 3 tonnes (starting with the 2017/18 season).

“Achieving this entails that everything that our farmers in the smallholder sector do — from planning to planting and harvesting to marketing — they must always bear in mind that they are in business and that they must get a profit from their labour,” he said.

Zaranyika said that if the smallholder farmers could push the country’s yield levels in excess of 3 tonnes per hectare, coupled with the command farming programme targeted at A2 and large scale commercial farmers, “surely we can produce surpluses”.

“Production of surpluses has some implications for a possible Third Green Revolution and returning this country to being the breadbasket status of the region,” the Seed Co Zimbabwe boss said.

The country has most basic infrastructure and conditions to achieve regular bumper yields, having managed to increase production to about 2,5 million tonnes in 2016/17 season, from about 700 tonnes, courtesy of a Government maize import substitution programme.

Zaranyika said going into the future and as early as 2017/18 season, initiatives such as the 11-Ton Plus Club in maize production would be extended to 10-Ton Plus Club in wheat, high achievers competitions in the communal sector, and 4-Ton Club in soya to set higher levels of productivity of these crops.

Another area of particular focus, Zaranyika said, was the development of small grains such as sorghum, pearl and finger millet, which play a vital role in food and nutrition security especially in the much drier regions of the country.

“Over the years, we have seen a fall in yields of small grains. This has been partly due to farmers’ use of recycled seed. As a company, we are doubling our efforts to ensure the availability on a large scale of certified small grains seeds,” Zaranyika said.

Zaranyika said the programmes and initiatives Seed Co has been working on were well supported by a robust extension programme. Agricultural extension plays a central role in promoting productivity and ultimately food security and livelihoods through educating farmers on good agronomic practices, he said.

He added that the future of agriculture in Zimbabwe was very bright; mainly because the country is endowed with key comparative advantages that include conducive climatic and soil conditions.

Through research and breeding programmes, the Seed Co chief executive said, the company had amply justified why everybody should work towards 100 percent hybrid maize adoption in Zimbabwe.

“We have very profitable varieties anchored by SC727and SC719 leading in the late maturing category, SC637, SC633, SC643, SC627 in the medium maturity group, SC513, SC533, SC529-leading the pack in the early maturity group.

“There are also very early and ultra-early groups which comprise of SC403 and SC301 as leaders. These varieties were bred to give higher yields coupled with agronomic traits such as good fertiliser use efficiency, excellent heat, and drought and disease tolerance.

“Going forward, Seed Co is committed to supporting economic growth and poverty reduction through agricultural development in Zimbabwe. We are growing in various ways including expanding our product basket footprint; and this we will be sharing with you in the future,” he said.