Seed Co wins big at agric show

Business Reporter
LEADING seed producer, Seed Co, shone like a beacon at the just-ended Harare Agricultural Show after bagging the Best Exhibitor award in the agricultural sector, and the Best Exhibitor Overall.

Seed Co, whose focus is on ensuring food security in the country and beyond, has won several such accolades in the past.

Seed Co managing director Denias Zaranyika said winning the awards again was testament to the effort the company is putting in transforming people’s lives in the country.

Mr Zaranyika also said the company was keen to create more jobs for citizens in tandem with Government thrust of ensuring “decent jobs” by 2030.

“Our focus is on import substitutions, exports, nutrition balance and job creation,” said Mr Zaranyika.

“Research and development has been our strength since 1940. We research, develop and churn out new and better varieties all the time. This ensures that we have varieties that are resilient and can withstand the vagaries of climate change. Drought and disease resistance and tolerance is key in our research. Seed Co varieties therefore aim to raise the living standards of Zimbabweans across the board.”

The company continues to invest heavily in raising farmers’ yields per hectare through agronomy and extension services.

Mr Zaranyika said Seed Co’s “aggressive and authentic patriotism” is to ensure that Zimbabwe regains it’s breadbasket status in the region it enjoyed in the past.

Apart from working towards guaranteeing food security, Seed Co is also engaging with various partners to ensure the horticulture industry grows.

The local horticulture sector used to have products that dominated international supermarkets shelves but its performance has dramatically gone down, missing out on opportunities to generate foreign currency.

Mr Zaranyika said Seed Co is “heavily investing” in research so that the country escalates efforts to reduce importation of small grains, oil and rice.

“We will certainly be releasing varieties that suit our environmental conditions and we are working with millers and oil extraction companies to ensure our breeders provide product properties that respond to market needs and dictates,” he said.

The seed maker is strong in corporate social responsibility as part of efforts to plough back into society.