To boost food production through the deployment of new technologies, the African Agriculture Technology Foundation , Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation , Alliance for Green Revolution in Africa and the Seed Entrepreneurs Association of Nigeria , have unveiled a private for-profit foundation seed entity – ECOBasic Seed Company Limited to produce foundation seed for the Nigerian and West African markets.
He added that the development will double the country’s maize yield from the current two metric tonnes per hectare to over four mt/hectare, thereby increasing yearly production to about 20 million mt. “To catalyse the development of hybrid maize technology adoption rate in Nigeria, medium term ECOBasic will concentrate in Nigeria whilst in the long run, it will target the ECOWAS region. It will target indigenous and international seed companies that produce certified hybrid seed.”
He explained that the new company would produce, process, and supply high-quality foundation seed to companies, across the Nigerian and West African seed markets.