Only 10 per cent of Nigerian farmers use hybrid seeds

Nigeria can double its maize production and achieve self-sufficiency by producing about 20 million metric tonnes per annum, if 50 per cent of farmers adopt hybrid maize varieties in the country. ECOBasic Seed Company Managing Director, Mr Brighton Karume, who disclosed this at a news briefing in Kaduna, said only 10 per cent of Nigerian […]

Nigeria can double its maize production and achieve self-sufficiency by producing about 20 million metric tonnes per annum, if 50 per cent of farmers adopt hybrid maize varieties in the country.

ECOBasic Seed Company Managing Director, Mr Brighton Karume, who disclosed this at a news briefing in Kaduna, said only 10 per cent of Nigerian farmers are using hybrid seeds, a situation that has made it impossible for the country to meet the national demand for maize production.

He said the company was debuted to bridge the existing gap in early generation seeds production in Nigeria and drive the seed sector in the sub-region with the production of high quality and pure seeds.

According to him, currently, over 90 per cent of the Early Generation Seed (EGS) breeder and foundation seed sourced in Nigeria are from research institutions.

“Nigeria can close her maize production versus demand gap by increasing the number of farmers that uses hybrid seed from the current 10 per cent to about over 50 percent.

“All things being equal, this singular act can double the country’s maize yield from the current two million tons per hectare to over 4 million tons per hectare thereby causing annual production to increase to about 20m tons,” he said.

The Managing Director said closing the national maize production and demand gap requires concerted efforts by players across the value chain.

He said the company was established to ensure supply of foundation seed solutions to local seed companies with the objective to produce and supply foundation seed of the highest quality and purity for the Nigerian and West African sub region.