The new Managing Director (MD)/ CEO, Premier Seeds Nigeria Limited Mr. Ibitoye Oyewale Olumide has said the company will not relent in ensuring food security through availability of improved seeds to farmers in Nigeria and cross West African Countries.
He made this promise while speaking with Food Farm News in his office at
Zaria that fundamentally food security starts with the use of improved seeds
along with all others best agronomics practices, saying the company alone is
producing 50% of the total thirty percent of national seeds requirement in the
country.
He stressed with more registered available improved seeds for
commercialization, the company is also very disposed to expansion of the
business through market coverage for easy access to farmers in Nigeria and
other neighbouring countries, saying presently they were in about twenty states
of the federation.
He pointed that premier seeds, the foremost leading company is very much
concerned about how certified seeds would get to farmers saying that ''we have
increased our distributors per each local government from 3-6 in order to allow them know the source of their improved seeds for
sustainability ’’
‘’Majority of farmers are left to the choice of meeting their seeds need
through uncertified source due to poor access to good ones. We have decided to
increase our market coverage to checkmate this challenge in Nigeria and other
West African Countries’’ said the new MD.
He cited example of vitamin A fortified maize of the company popularly
called (Oba-Super (6) as a premium product with other varieties of seeds that
produce good yield to meet the need of farmers and food sustainability.
Speaking on the production of Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) crops
like cotton and cowpea that have been officially registered and release for
commercial production, he said ‘’ all our products presently are not GMOs, and
until we are licensed to produce such that we will do that, and also the
management would have to also take decision on that ‘’
He also hinted that the company would soon start producing vegetable seeds like tomato, cucumber and pepper to checkmate huge import bills
being expended on them yearly, saying presently the on farm trial in
collaboration with National Horticultural Research Institute (HIHORT) is
ongoing with expectation of result very soon.
On projection for the next two years as the new MD he said ’My own
projection for the next two years is business development in terms of what can
done to enhance the business in terms of production driven by market. Presently
our production capacity is 10,000 tons -15,000 tons per annual. My plan is how we
can sell all that we have produced within Nigeria and other West African
Countries. How can we increase our production with market driven approach after
knowing the need of farmers? How can we improve on their areas of identified
needs? All these are what i am going to work on in the next two years for more
market coverage.
Mr. Olumide took over the mantle
of Premier seeds Nigeria Limited leadership from Prof. Oyediji Ogungbile who
has meritoriously worked to his retirement age with high level of achievements
left behind for the new MD.
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