ETHIOPIA – Corteva Agriscience, Agriculture Division of DowDuPont, has entered into a partnership with the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) in a deal that seeks to boost cereals, fruit and vegetable production in Ethiopia.
Prabdeep Bajwa, President of Corteva Agriscience, Africa Middle East said that the partnership will provide famers with better production solutions that will safely and sustainably maximize productivity.
“We will work with our farmers to introduce new agricultural practices that cause minimal impact to the environment and innovate to produce food ingredients which are healthier, taste better, and are designed for different diet requirements,” he said.
Corteva has successfully partnered the government and USAID in the implementation of the Advanced Maize Seed Adoption Program (AMSAP) that impacted about 250,000 smallholder farmers in the country.
According to a New Business Ethiopia report, the project resulted to an increase in productivity from 2.2 metric tons per hectare to 7 metric tons per hectare as well as increase in incomes by US$1,500 annually.
“As the largest global company solely dedicated to agriculture, we are ready to support the government in making the agriculture sector more efficient, innovating so that output is maximised and Ethiopian farmers are more successful,” Bajwa said.
The program aims to increase the productivity of smallholder farmers by giving them new, high-quality options for maize seeds as well as improving seed distribution and post-harvest storage.
“The future in farming lies in increasing yields and we have a track record of helping farmers boost their agricultural production through the AMSAP program in Ethiopia.
We also have proven crop protection solutions, including a post-emergence herbicide for annual grass and broadleaf weed control in wheat and teff,” Bajwa added.
Also speaking during the official brand launch of Corteva Agriscience, Adams, Vice President for Country support and Delivery at AGRA said:
“This collaboration will, among other things, boost our work to transform the lives of smallholder farmers by improving their access to yield enhancing technologies including but not limited to hybrid seeds, good agriculture practices, and post-harvest management.”
Corteva Agriscience will also focus on strategies to scale up current collaborations to accelerate agricultural development as an engine of broad-based economic growth in the region.
