Subscribe & Follow
Jobs
Pioneer is growing its hybrid corn seed scheme further into Africa
![Picture:](https://biz-file.com/c/1608/355184.jpg)
In Ethiopia in 2013, Pioneer, the biggest supplier of hybrid corn seeds in Africa, partnered with the government and the US Agency for International Development, and there are now 300,000ha growing corn using the seed.
In February, the programme was rolled out in Zambia and the company hopes to complete talks with Tanzania this year and launch the programme next year, Prabdeep Bajwa, the African regional business director for Pioneer, said in an interview in Bloomberg’s Johannesburg office last Friday. The programme includes training and financing for farmers.
"We have to work very closely with governments," he said. "It’s programmes like Amsap for example, that are proof points" for the use of hybrid seed.
Dupont, through its Pioneer and Pannar units, is trying to expand its seed business in Africa, where there are about 35-million hectares of land under corn with an average yield of less than two tonnes per hectare, he said. That was less than third of the average productivity of US corn farms.
"We have had conversation(s) in Ghana about the same deal," Bajwa said. The governments are becoming more receptive."
While genetically modified corn seed is used in SA, it is not permitted elsewhere on the continent, boosting the potential for hybrid seed, Bajwa said.
Bloomberg
Source: I-Net Bridge
![](https://biz-file.com/b/1206/36520.gif?3)
For more than two decades, I-Net Bridge has been one of South Africa’s preferred electronic providers of innovative solutions, data of the highest calibre, reliable platforms and excellent supporting systems. Our products include workstations, web applications and data feeds packaged with in-depth news and powerful analytical tools empowering clients to make meaningful decisions.
We pride ourselves on our wide variety of in-house skills, encompassing multiple platforms and applications. These skills enable us to not only function as a first class facility, but also design, implement and support all our client needs at a level that confirms I-Net Bridge a leader in its field.
Go to: http://www.inet.co.za![](/res/img/s.gif)