In its quest to ensure Nigeria attains a level of food security and self efficiency in food production, a Kaduna based hybrid seed company, Seed Co, has concluded plans to introduce into the market hybrid seed of wheat, millet and vegetables.
The Managing Director of the company, Mr. Kolade Dada, disclosed this in his statement at the company’s 2022 / 2023 grand finale Mega brown field day which is to showcase the company’s climate-smart and disease-tolerant crops varieties in Kaduna.
According to him, Nigeria had just been able to adopt about 6-7% adoption of hybrids produce in the country which is a far cry from what it was supposed to be.
He said, “feedback from farmers had shown that Nigeria terrain though difficult had shown that the country can be self sufficient if the right approach is applied in food production”.
“SeedCo had been able to surmount the difficulty brought about by climate change by introducing climate change products which are high yielding”, he added.
Kolawole further stated that though the government is trying its best in making agriculture marketable, the issue of food storage as well as loan facilities to rural farmers had been a major problem affecting food production in the country.
While noting that, the banks, had been shy in availing long term loans to farmers especially in the rural areas which had been the bane of sustainable food production.
He further reiterated that the country needs needs good talents to be able to democratize such talents in order to achieve full food potential in the country.
Also speaking , a staff of the organization Mr Victor Dada said that SEEDCO is a Nigeria Agro allied company that is research based so that Nigerians can have the benefit of a better yield.
He said that the company had been able to produce quality seeds which had turned around the woes of farmers in Kaduna and the nation in general.
He called on other farmers to cue into the ongoing revolution in the sector in order to achieve maximum potentials.
Farmers Narrates Experiences
Selected farmers who spoke to news men at the grand event applauded SeedCo for their commitment towards bettering farming in the state by introducing varieties of high yielding seedlings to farmers.
Bello Shamsudeen described SeedCo as the last ‘bus stop’. He said, ” When looking for seeds with ability for large harvest, seedco is the best answer.
“We have tried many seedlings from different companies but they are nothing compared to what when are experiencing with the SeedCo seedlings.
Our harvest at the moment is close to 70 hectrepl, all thanks to the SEED-CO Nigeria, a subsidiary of The African Seed Company”, he added.
Hajiya Binta, a female farmer in the state also attested that she has moved from harvesting 13 bags to 25 bags as a result of planting the seedco seedlings on her farm.
The event also aimed to appeal to farmers and educate them that bumper harvest is possible, using the right seed and partnering with the right agronomists.