Agriculture, Mechanisation and Water Resources Development minister Anxious Masuka, has commended Seed Co Limited for its leading role in advancing climate-smart agriculture and strengthening Zimbabwe’s food security through quality seed production and innovation.
Speaking during a tour of the company’s Stapleford facility on Wednesday, Masuka praised Seed Co’s continued investment in research, technology and seed systems tailored for different agro-ecological regions.
“Seed Co is playing a leading role in the agricultural sector through climate-smart seed technologies that are tailor-made for our different agro-ecological regions and aligned with the ministry’s national crop mapping programme,” Masuka said.
He said government remained committed to supporting farmers with irrigation infrastructure, mechanisation, access to quality inputs and technical expertise in line with the National Development Strategy 2 (NDS 2).
However, he challenged the company to accelerate research and production of traditional grains such as sunflower, sorghum and pearl millet, which are increasingly important under changing climatic conditions.
Masuka urged the seed producer to work closely with financial institutions supported by government to improve irrigation development and agricultural productivity.
During the tour, Seed Co management showcased the company’s integrated seed production value chain covering research, pre-planting, production, processing, quality assurance and distribution.
At the centre of the operation is the Seed Co Quality Lab, where seed undergoes strict testing to ensure compliance with International Seed Trade Association standards and local regulatory requirements.
Company officials said the quality assurance system guaranteed high purity and germination rates, guided by the mantra “pure for sure”.
Seed Co highlighted major investments aimed at improving efficiency and reducing post-harvest losses, including the installation of a new colour sorting machine to separate rotten seed from healthy seed and a new seed grading machine designed to reduce operational costs.
The company has upgraded warehouse infrastructure and is modernising its artificial seed maize dryer to improve throughput and efficiency.
Management revealed that Seed Co is migrating to improved poly-woven packaging and procuring long-shelf-life insecticides to minimise seed deterioration, customer complaints and write-offs.
The Stapleford facility further demonstrated its expanding processing capacity through upgraded seed cleaners, packing lines and graders, as well as ongoing enhancement of its factory dryer originally built with a 5 000-metric-tonne capacity.
Seed Co said it would continue to invest heavily in research and development in Zimbabwe, although investment in rice and sunflower slowed due to limited open market development for the crops.
The company also highlighted the recent launch of its SC449 hybrid maize seed variety and ongoing grower trials for hybrid sunflower varieties amid growing interest from the livestock and stockfeed sectors.
Seed Co officials said Zimbabwe remained a strategic export base supplying seed to Mozambique, Malawi, Tanzania and Kenya, with factory drying technology giving the company a competitive edge through fast delivery times.
The company invested in mechanisation through its Grower Transformation Initiative Programme, which supports growers with centre pivots, solar farms, grain dryers, on-farm seed cleaners and other farming equipment.
Masuka concluded the visit by acknowledging the major risks facing the agricultural sector, particularly climate-induced droughts and the proliferation of counterfeit seed on the market.
“We must continue strengthening resilience against droughts while protecting farmers from fake seed that threatens productivity and food security,” he said.-newsday
