Kano farmers urged to embrace hybrid seeds

The call was made by Managing Director Maina Seeds Limited, Auwalu Balarabe, during a field day of 2nd IITA/AGRA foundation seeds dissemination project at Yaryasa village in Tudun wadan Dankadai Local Government Area of Kano State. According to the MD, time has gone when farmers use seeds that will not in anyway increase their harvest.He […]

The call was made by Managing Director Maina Seeds Limited, Auwalu Balarabe, during a field day of 2nd IITA/AGRA foundation seeds dissemination project at Yaryasa village in Tudun wadan Dankadai Local Government Area of Kano State. According to the MD, time has gone when farmers use seeds that will not in anyway increase their harvest.
He added that for two years, his company in collaboration with IITA and AGRA, has been maintaining  demons-tration of trial fields for farmers in the area to see what is obtainable when hybrid seeds are used during cultivation.
“This is not magic but a simple opportunity that we could all benefit from; you have seen how we have recorded increase in yield in these farms. Even though some of you have already started using the hybrid seeds, I will still want to urge those that are yet to start to embrace these seeds and believe me, you will be glad you did,” Balarabe stated.
Addressing farmers at the venue, a consultant with IITA/AGRA, Dr. Baffour Asalo, stated that, “Farmers’ productivity in Africa is limited by the fact that farmers have limited choice of improved variety of seeds. Most farmers plant varieties that were released more than 30 years ago or land races (farmer collection seeds).