Seed Co seeks market boost for horticulture

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SEED Co says it is linking horticulture producers with local and export markets as it expands activities in that sector.
The company’s general manager for the vegetables unit, Felistus Ndawi, told The Financial Gazette that horticulture, unlike the production of field crops such as maize and wheat, required more market support.

“When it comes to the horticulture space, we don’t work only with the farmers but also the markets because with horticulture you don’t just produce without a ready market. So, we bring producers here to come and talk to the farmers about the products that they are looking for,” Ndawi said.
“We also have institutional buyers and we are always striving to link the farmers with both the local buyers, as well as the export market. Things are looking exciting for our farmers as they are beginning to see the money and understand the profit story around horticulture.
“We have just had an opportunity to host more than 400 college students and we were teaching them how they can make farming a profitable enterprise. We believe that in horticulture there is the advantage of a very short turnaround.
“Within three months you are already selling your products. Some of them, such as broccoli and lettuce, even within 40 days. So, you can be able to generate cash-flow very quickly for your other farming enterprises as well as your day-to-day operations,” she added.
She emphasised that with adequate market support, horticulture has proved to be an attractive business venture.
“We have farmers who have managed to buy tractors, expand their operations and put up greenhouses. All from the profits they have generated from their enterprises,” Ndawi said.
This comes as the company’s managing director, Terrence Chimanya, recently told a farmers’ field day that Seed Co was also helping farmers deal with challenges such as credit access.
“On our part, we have made some significant investments in our research and development to ensure that we keep pace with climatic and environmental challenges that you face in your operations,” Chimanya said.
“It is in this respect that Seed Co has a laboratory that enhances our breeding progress through molecular marker-assisted selection, to make new inbred lines using double haploid technology and advanced plant pathology.
“We also feel that the investment that we made in our laboratory equipment has been worthwhile, as it has now drastically cut the time in which we are able to respond to and offer the market new products — ensuring that you, our farmers, now get new varieties in almost real-time.
“In addition, the laboratory is also enabling us to increase breeding gains (high yield in terms of improvements of existing varieties); bred for improved genetic quality of seed which will lead to increased yield for farmers; and increasing precision in breeding leading to the development of world-class varieties.”
Chimanya said the company had intensified its focus on farmer agronomy support and the development of structures to link farmers with financial institutions for working capital funding.
“The seed industry solidly aligns itself to the government, especially the agriculture initiatives that are aimed at making this industry the main driver of the Zimbabwean economy.
“I am pleased to say that Seed Co Limited carried out its responsibilities … and that we are putting our act together to be ready for the coming winter and summer planting seasons,” he added.
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