QUTON Seed Company (Private) Limited, a subsidiary of Seed Co Limited, has spread its wings to Tanzania where it has established a seed processing plant in the country’s Simiyu region.
Report by Phillip Chidavaenzi
The area’s regional commissioner, Paschal Mabiti, said establishing the plant had been an uphill task as it faced resistance from locals who felt threatened by the Zimbabwean presence.
Speaking at a Quton field day held in Kadoma last Friday, Mabiti said: “It was not an easy task because there were some people who thought we had come to take business away from other (local) entrepreneurs.”
Quton managing director Edward Mhandu said the company’s seed breeders had just produced the new QM302 variety which was expected to give higher yields.
“We are pleased to announce that Quton seed breeders have come up with a new seed variety, QM302. It’s expected that farmers will benefit through higher yields and quality, and so will the ginners as well as the external market,” he said.
He added that there has been an increase in production as the company sold 8 700 tonnes of cotton seed on the market against 8 000 released in 2011.
