Determined to boost Nigerian-grown varieties of tomatoes and pepper seed production and reduce reliance on imports, a Kano-based agribusiness firm has unveiled vegetable seeds processing facility. The firm, the Seed Project Company Limited, now rebranded as SeedPro Africa, also announced plans to introduce six new tomato and pepper varieties into the segment market.
The Chief Executive Officer of SeedPro Africa, Dr Zainab Gwadabe, disclosed this on Saturday during the company's 20th anniversary celebration in Kano, where it also launched a home gardening kit aimed at supporting household food production. Gwadabe said the facility, described by the company as the first of its kind in Nigeria, would support the processing and packaging of locally produced vegetable seeds, while helping farmers cope with foreign exchange volatility on agricultural inputs.
Also speaking at the event, the Senior Portfolio Officer of the Africa Enterprise Challenge Fund, Mr Michael Adibe, said AECF was partnering with SeedPro Africa under its Investing in Women Nigeria project, in collaboration with the Kano State Ministries of Agriculture and Commerce. "SeedPro Africa has been our partner since 2024. We funded seed multiplication and seed processing, and the processing machines and greenhouse launched today were sponsored by AECF."
Adibe further noted that the partnership would run from December 2024 to November 2027, with a target of reaching 5,000 women farmers and producing up to 10 metric tonnes of seeds annually through the greenhouse and processing facility.
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