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Edgar Vhera
Agriculture Specialist Writer
EASI Seeds Zimbabwe recently scored a milestone in the agriculture industry after introducing inaugural maize hybrids expected to bolster seed sovereignty and increase seed exports while revolutionising cereal production in the 2025/26 agricultural season.
The move aligns with the Government’s food and nutrition security policies, which seek to promote agro-ecological matching and delink agriculture from the weather.
EASI Seeds is a joint venture between European and African seed businesses aimed at creating a new and winning business model for the African market and joins a list of other maize seed hybrid seed producing companies in the country.
In a recent notice, the company unveiled four new hybrid maize varieties with wide adaptation and cultivation capabilities across all maize-growing areas of the country and suitable for both small and large-scale farmers even in southern and eastern Africa.
“The hybrids cut across the four key Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO)-defined maturity classes, starting with EASI4E, a hardy and very early maturing (400 Series) white-grained maize hybrid that excelled in both ART Farm independent and company-run trials.
“The hybrid has semi-dent grains, a long cob suitable for green mealies, and excellent tip cover to protect the yield against insect damage and late rains,” the notice read.
Other varieties developed with climate change in mind, are EASI5M (early maturity), EASI6ML (medium maturity), and EASI7L (very late maturity).
These hybrids possess several traits, including super resistance to common maize diseases such as grey leaf spot, common rust, maize streak virus, northern leaf blight, and Diplodia and Fusarium ear rots, as well as drought and heat tolerance.
The release of these four new climate-smart maize hybrids comes at a time seasons are shifting on the backdrop of severe hot and dry weather phenomena currently affecting Southern Africa. These hybrids offer farmers opportunities to adapt to the changing climate and still obtain reasonable yields to boost their incomes if good agronomic practices are adopted.
The Crops, Horticulture, Fisheries, and Livestock (CLAFA 2) summer plan for 2024/2025 disclosed that the country will plant 1, 8 million hectares under maize.
At a seed rate of 15 kilogrammes per hectare, 45 000 tonnes of seed will suffice. The country currently has 59 336 tonnes, which is sufficient.
Besides ensuring seed sovereignty, this development will allow the country to expand its maize seed export earnings in the coming years.
Export earnings from maize seed have been increasing over the past 14 years. They have risen by 925 percent from US$345 211 in 2010 to US$3 539 951 in 2023.
Source: ZimStats
Maize is an important strategic crop widely grown by smallholder farmers and is Zimbabwe’s staple food. It provides a source of livelihood for over three million people and significantly contributes to the manufacturing industry’s raw material requirements. It plays a vital role in the agricultural economy.
Maize features prominently in Zimbabwe’s agricultural policy, as evidenced by frequent attempts to control production and marketing activities through various subsidy programmes, producer price setting, ad hoc import and export bans and statutory instruments.
The Government has crafted policies to ensure farmers receive higher producer prices while consumers access affordable maize meal through subsidies.
The country requires approximately 2 287 742 tonnes of grain for human and livestock consumption annually.
Online Reporter