A Kaduna based agric firm, Seed Co has concluded plans to introduce into the market hybrid seeds for wheat, millet, fruits and vegetables.
Managing Director of the company, Kolade Dada disclosed this at the firm’s 2022 / 2023 grand finale to showcase the company’s climate-smart and disease-tolerant crops varieties in Kaduna.
The event hosted in the firm’s facility located in the southern part of the state capital was attended by farmers, agric regulating agencies, community heads among others.
Dada said with technology driven farming methods, particularly, adopting the use of hybrid seeds, Nigeria could attain the level of cultivating six metric tonnes of maize, rice and other critical products per hectare.
He decried the current level of the Country’s average 2.2 metric tones per hectare which he noted was a far cry compared to other nations such as South Africa with an average of 7 metric tones per hectare.
He attributed the poor performance to insecurity, slow rate of adopting hybrid seeds by farmers, inaccessibility to long term loans by agric firms among others.
The agric expert however expressed optimism that with the resolve of seed production companies in Nigeria to integrating technology and modern methods of improving seed performance, the country would gradually become mega food exporter.
” What we have done here today is to exhibit our high bumper products produced with our hybrid seeds which will impact positively on the nation’s efforts of becoming a good sufficient country.
” We are also diversifying our products which include commercial crops such as soyabean, rice, wheat, sorghum, fruits and vegetables, leveraging technology and investing in cold room storage facilities for effective seed storage.
” We have toured round 17 states connecting framers to how best they can upwardly boost their products using our hybrid seeds.
” We want more believers to adopt our methods to increase their livelihoods in the face of difficult terrain and harsh climatic conditions which are unfavorable to storage of seeds.
” It is our pleasure to introduce to Nigerian farmers seeds that are resistant to harsh climate and could yield beyond expectations.
” We have adopted the use of renewable energy like the solar in our plants to reduce our carbon imprints and its effects on global warming so we could contribute our quota in ensuring a safer and friendly environment for food production,” he assured.