Munashe Matambo Business Reporter
Hybrid seed processing company, Seed Co, has started running the Eleven Tonne Plus Club Promotion, targeting commercial farmers with at least 10 hectares of the firm’s seed varieties grown during the 2017 /18 season as part of efforts to boost food security.

Concurrently, the seed company is rolling out the Soyabean Five Tonne Club targeting commercial farmers with at least 20 hectares of certified Seed Co soyabean varieties.

The Seed Co Eleven Tonne Plus Club Promotion is one of the most productivity enhancing initiatives, which the seed company is rolling out for the current (2017 /18) summer maize crop. The yield contest, which is set to close between August and September this year, is an extension tool which is aimed at encouraging and enhancing food grain productivity among commercial farmers.

Seed Co Agronomy and Extensions Services manager Mr John Basera, told The Herald Business that yield assessments are already underway and participation levels are high.

“The contest will demonstrate the high yielding thrust and genetic yield potential of Seed Co maize varieties — phenomenon called Genetic Gains.

“Excellent genetics (seed varieties) coupled with the religious adoption of good agronomic practices, are fundamental pillars in increasing productivity at farm level. It is the ‘golden couple’ to improving grain productivity,” he said.

Mr Basera said that at harvesting, an independent assessment team comprising of representatives (provincial and national) from Agritex and the four farmer unions in Zimbabwe, that is, Zimbabwe National Farmers Union (ZNFU), Commercial Farmers Union (CFU), Zimbabwe Commercial Farmers Union (ZCFU) and Zimbabwe Farmers Union (ZFU), will be responsible for randomly sampling out and measuring an hectare using a GPS, digital or balancing scales.

The competition will enable the best commercial farmers throughout the country to be rewarded for their hard work and religious adoption of GAPs (Good Agronomic Practises) in maize and soyabean production.

He said, “The assessment team will rank the farmers according to their yields per assessed one hectare blocks and the top three farmers will be announced between September and October 2018 at a prize giving ceremony.

“All farmers who register and surpass the 11 tonne threshold/hectare qualify to 11 tonne plus club participants.

“All participants will walk away with consolation prizes and certificates,” he added.

The company stated that a farmer must have at least 10 hectares of maize to participate in the Seed Co Eleven Tonne Plus Club Promotion.

To participate in the Soyabean Five Tonne Club Contest a farmer must have at least 20 hectares of soyabean crop.