Zimpapers Logo

Panashe Chikonyora Business Reporter
The Zimbabwe Stock Exchange-listed seed processor, Seed Co, is working on introducing a seed drying facility to enable it prepare the inputs timeously for farmers to receive allocations way ahead of rainy seasons, according the company’s managing director Denias Zaranyika.

Mr Zaranyika said this on Tuesday during the 2019 Seed Co annual media luncheon, an interactive meeting the firm holds annually for media practitioners.

The event was held at the firm’s premises at Stapleford in Mt Humpden.

Mr Zaranyika said the development is the company’s initiative to boost the agriculture sector by putting measures to stimulate good farming practices to achieve high crop yields.

The seed drying facility will be a game changer in the farming sector and the seed company hopes that it will curb seed post-maturity losses and help in further advancing processed seed market readiness.

“In a bid to ensure we remain progressive and are constantly investing in agriculture, Seed Co has committed to a dryer facility project set to be commissioned in 2020. This project will help farmers to get seed right on time and minimise shortages,” he said.

He advised farmers to plant varieties that are suitable for their ecological region to minimise loses.

“As Seed Co, we have done our part. Productive high quality seed is now available. December is still a planting month, so yes, we continue doing what we know best and that is farming. It’s clear that if agriculture catches a cold, the whole economy catches it too,” said Mr Zaranyika.

He said the world class maize seed drying facility was the first of its kind in the country and was driven by the company’s objective to spread the technology to its key regional markets in the future.

Meanwhile, speaking at the same event Seed Co head agronomist Wendy Madzura, said the seed company was looking into both hybrid varieties for field and horticulture crops.

She said this was a necessary addition to its product basket that would see local farmers being great exporters to the European market where horticultural products are on high demand.

“Seed Co aligns itself to climate change by being ahead of the situation, hence we managed to breed climate smart varieties,” said Ms Madzura.

“Agriculture is dynamic like anything else in this world. If you don’t change, if you don’t adapt you die. So we don’t want to die, we want to continue to adapt, evolve and move with the time so that we continue to realise value out of our enterprising,” she added.

The seed company recently launched the SC529 and SC649 good yield and drought and pest resistant maize varieties as an addition to its product basket and said another variety SC419 will be on the market in the next farming season.

The country continues to receive erratic rains, calling for the need to have more draught and disease tolerant seed varieties on the market.