Corteva Agriscience Gives More Boost to Agric Sector

Corteva Agriscience Gives More Boost to Agric Sector

Oluchi Chibuzor
The federal government’s Agriculture Promotion Policy 2016-2020 document, also known as the Green Alternative aimed at achieving food security goals, import substitution, job creation, and economic diversification will receive a further boost following the official introduction of the Corteva Agriscience brand to farmers in the country.

CortevaAgriscience, which is a leader in seed technologies, crop protection, and digital Agriculture is the result of the merger between DuPont Crop Protection, DuPont Pioneer and Dow AgroSciences.
The brand was introduced to farmers in Nigeria at the Seed Connect Conference and Expo, 2019, hosted by the National Agricultural Seeds Council (NASC) in Abuja, recently.

According to the company, the development highlights its continued footprint expansion across African markets, supporting its commitment to serving agricultural sector optimisation by providing the best insights, products, and technology to farmers and a market that is under-served.

Commenting, President of Corteva Agriscience, Africa Middle East, Prabdeep Bajwa, said: “Nigeria’s abundant resources are a great foundation on which to build a sustainable agricultural sector.

“I believe the utilisation of technological innovations can help overcome local challenges. We are committed to ensuring that Corteva Agriscience is an enabling collaborator for the Nigerian agricultural sector.”

Also speaking, the Commercial Director of Corteva Agriscience, North West, West, and Central Africa commercial area, Alain Pescay, said: “We are committed to supporting the Nigeria government in advancing its agriculture sector—the critical foundation of any successful economy and country.

“We can’t do this alone and collaboration is central to what we do in Nigeria. We bring our vast diversity of resources, knowledge, and experience to support our mutual goals.”

The agricultural sector in Nigeria is vital to the overall economy, as it is only second to oil as the leading contributor to the GDP. The Nigerian farming sector employs around 70 per cent of the population and the country’s small farms produce 80 per cent of the total food, while 33 per cent of Nigerian land is under cultivation for this purpose. Nigeria is one of the leading African countries in farming based on levels of productivity and profitability.

And experts said with the commitment of Corteva Agriscience, the country would achieve more in agriculture.

Corteva Agriscience already has presence in Nigeria through its Pioneer brandseeds, crop protection solutions as well as collaboration with Flour Mills of Nigeria Plc to develop maize hybrid seed in Nigeria. Other Corteva Agriscience projects in Nigeria include collaborating with several non-government organisations (NGOs) on the bid for a new $60 million USAID West Africa trade hub, engaging with USAID to develop a concept for a new Global Development Alliance (GDA) related to smallholder farmers, as well as collaborating with USAID and Cultivating New Frontiers in Agriculture (CNFA) in Nigeria to advance demo plots and extension services through the USAID maize value chain project.

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