DuPont Launches Initiatives in Ethiopia to Boost Food Production

ADDIS ABABA, EthiopiaDuPont today launched collaborative initiatives in Ethiopia that will boost maize productivity among smallholder farmers and help increase food production for local communities. DuPont will invest more than $4 million over the next three years.

DuPont is committed to collaboratively tackling global food security challenges and we are honored to work with USAID (United States Agency for International Development) and the Government of Ethiopia to significantly increase productivity for maize farmers here," said DuPont Executive Vice President James C. Borel, during the DuPont Pioneer seed production plant opening in Menagesha.

DuPont is collaborating with the government of Ethiopia and USAID to advance the agricultural development and food security goals set by the government of Ethiopia. The Advanced Maize Seed Adoption Program (AMSAP) will provide sample seed to demonstration plots and field training sessions as well as build a network of farmer dealers and the current cooperatives to advance the utilization and acceptance of high-quality inputs and production techniques. The AMSAP also includes the facilitation of credit and grants for the construction of seed and post-harvest storage facilities.

Maize is a significant contributor to Ethiopias economic and social development, providing jobs, income and food.  The AMSAPs goal is to help enhance incomes for 35,000 smallholder maize farmers in 16 districts over three regions, and scale up a network for sustainable seed distribution.  By switching from open-pollinated maize seed to hybrid seed and using improved farming inputs and techniques, participating farmers will be helped to increase their yields by as much as 50%.

Under the program, new seed and grain warehousing facilities will be built at the local levels where farmer dealers can store small amounts of seed, thereby increasing seed availability, and where farmers can store their grain to wait for improved market prices. The improved postharvest grain storage will help to reduce losses by as much as 20%. These transformations will improve the livelihoods of smallholder farmers in the region, helping to transition their farms from subsistence to self-sustaining operations.

On May 17, DuPont opened a state-of-the-art seed processing plant and large capacity storage warehouse at Menagasha to meet the increasing demand for DuPont Pioneer seed. The plants capabilities are designed to ensure that DuPont Pioneer provides farmers with the highest-quality seed and include automated seed cleaning, treating and packaging as well as gravity sorting and grading.