Kenya: New Corn Hybrids Increase Farmer Productivity and Profitability

Two new Pioneer® brand hybrids, PHB 30V53 and PHB 30G19, are on target to improve customer profitability, and are predicted to double and nearly triple yield for farmers in the Highland and Medium wet market in Kenya, East Africa.

"In Kenya, maize is a major staple food but land is limited and agricultural productivity has not been able to cope with population growth, leading to annual imports and food insecurity. At Pioneer East Africa, we have realized for a long time that our survival and success in Kenya depends on what we do on Highlands/Medium wet segment. The performance edge of these two new products, along with our high-quality agronomic services to influential key farms in what is called the "Granary of Kenya" will help increase productivity and customer profitability. At the same time, it will help the expected maize green revolution take off in the next five years," said Worede Woldemariam, Business Manager, Pioneer East & Central Africa.

Pioneer customer Richard Nalianya is a small-scale farmer in Kitale who has grown Pioneer® brand hybrid seed since 2000. Regarding new hybrids 30V53 and 30G19, he said, "Since the day I found out about Pioneer hybrids, I have not planted other maize hybrids. When I plant seeds from the other companies, I find them to be too tall with very small cobs. Pioneer hybrid maize is not too tall, but has bigger cobs. When I count the lines on the cobs of the maize, they range from 16-20 lines."

With these benefits, Nalianya harvests earlier and gets better market prices than his neighbors. He achieved yields of 50 bags per acre with 30V53, and 52 bags per acre with 30G19 in 2006 growing season. Nalianya, a 100 percent Pioneer customer, has benefited from the high yields and has constructed a business building in the nearby town with income from the Pioneer hybrids he planted this season.

Pioneer customer Rosemary Watta, a medium-scale farmer in Lugari, said "We have already harvested the maize and seen that they have done very well. Many other farmers are opting to plant the Pioneer seed and they are already requesting the seed. In comparing the two Pioneer hybrids, I saw that 30G19 did better than 30V53, (37 bags from 30G19 and 35 bags from 30V53). This harvest was the best that we had since I started farming, so it was very successful."

Watta continued, "I planted other varieties of seeds which people compared with Pioneer, and Pioneer proved to be the best. The cobs were so huge and people were just marveling at them!"

This project is a two-year collaborative effort between Pioneer and FarmChem (the local distributor). The Pioneer team has also been collaborating with Farm Inputs Promotion Service (FIPS) by providing seeds for demonstration plots in areas they operate.