Business
Report Says African Seed Industry Taken Over By Local Companies
“But it worked with PASS and other partners to rapidly expand and now produces thousands of tons of seed each year for a wide menu of crop varieties, including high-yield sorghum, millet, and cowpea developed specifically for Nigeria’s growing conditions.” There already are indications that increasing access to the improved seed is helping farmers coax far more food out of the same amount of and. A 2013 survey of farmers in nine countries found that the majority of farmers who have invested in improved crop varieties have seen yields rise by 50 to 100 percent.
For example, 69 percent of farmers surveyed in Kenya, 74 percent in Nigeria, and 79 percent in Mozambique said improved maize varieties had allowed them to double the amount of maize harvested per hectare. Meanwhile, 79 percent of farmers surveyed in Ghana reported doubling rice yields, and 85 percent of farmers surveyed in Uganda reported doubling yields from cowpea.
The report noted that for majority of small-holder farmers in Africa to have access to improved crop varieties and other inputs required to achieve their full yield potential, that there is need to free up the supply of foundation seed developed by national governments public.
Source: allAfrica
