Flour Mills partners DowDuPont agri division, Corteva, to develop hybrid maize seedlings in Nigeria

Flour Mills of Nigeria on Thursday announced it had gone into partnership with Corteva Agriscience, the agriculture division of DowDuPont, to develop maize hybrid seed in the country.

The FMN and Corteva partnership will see the parties working together on key aspects of maize value chain in Nigeria, with a major focus on promoting modern farming techniques and practices, capacity development and knowledge transfer for the local production and the use improved and quality input which will include seed and crop protection.

John Coumantarous, chairman, FMN, said the deal comes with an exciting prospect as Corteva Agriscience is a globally renowned company with a wealth of experience in crop protection and biotechnology solution and will introduce new seed production techniques that will upwardly transform the maize hybrid seed market in Nigeria.

Recalling FMN’s market goals, the chairman reiterated that “over the year, FMN has invested heavily in primary processing, aggregation and distribution of locally grown grains such as maize, soybeans, rice, sorghums and wheat and are passionate about strengthening the capacity of small-scale farmers, even as we continue to seek out newer ways of deepening our supply chain”

On his part, Prabdeep Bajwa, commercial unit director, Africa middle east, Corteva Agriscience, said: “this partnership endorses our commitment to collaboration across the food chain to transform the role of agriculture in the society and enhance the livelihood of farmers in Nigeria.”

Our company is investing in innovation, drawing from our knowledge of genetics, chemistry and digital to give farmers in Africa more and better products and ensuring their success.”

Flour Mills of Nigeria Plc and Corteva Agriscience have begun work on demonstration farms in Nigeria, with the aim of showcasing high-performing maize varieties with additional test site to commences soon in the northern parts of the country

Nigeria currently produces about 1.5 metric hectares of maize which is low compared to the production average in Africa, and it is projected that improved hybrids and the adoption of other improved farming mechanisms will exponentially increase production yield to as much as 100% in the next five years.

By Oluwaseun Afolabi