Group Operations Director
I am pleased to announce that at the Group Board meeting held on Thursday 27 June 2024, Mr. Clive Chikomborero Mugadza, was promoted to the role of Group Operations Director, reporting to the Group Chief Executive Officer.
In this role he will remain in charge of our East African businesses namely Tanzania, Kenya and the East African lakes region but also take additional oversight role on the Vegetable businesses as well as the Developing markets which include:
Clive joined the Company in 2011 as Group Marketing Manager and has excelled in all the roles he has held so far, and I have no doubt he will excel in his new post.
He holds a Bachelor of Technology Management Honours degree. He is also an alumnus
of Harvard Business School, where he completed an Executive Leadership Program.
Managing Director – Zimbabwe
The Board also confirmed the appointment of Mrs. Felistus Ndawi – Gurajena as Managing Director for Seed Co Zimbabwe and will continue reporting to the Group CEO. Felistus has been acting in this role since 16 March 2024 and has excelled in the brief period she has held the position .
Felistus holds an Honors and Master’s degrees in Accounting Science from UNISA, along with certifications in International Cash Management and Financial Planning and Analysis from the Association for Corporate Treasurers (UK) and the Association for Finance Professionals (USA) respectively. She is also an alumnus of the 2023 class for an Executive Development Business Transformation Program with Stanford Graduate School of Business (USA).
Managing Director – Kenya
Mr. Wellington Wasike, was confirmed as Managing Director for Kenya. He was previously General Manager for the business. He will continue to report to Mr. Clive Mugadza, the newly appointed Group Operations Director.
Wellington joined Seed Co Kenya in 2014 as Marketing Manager and was promoted to
General Manager in 2022.
Wellington holds a Honors and Master’s degrees in Agronomy from Egerton University, Kenya. He is an Alumnus of INSEAD Business School (Fontainebleau, France) Marketing Academy. He is also a certified business operations professional from International Academy of Business and Financial Management (IABFM).
General Manager – Vegetable Seeds Northern Cluster
Mr. Patrick Mutandwa has been confirmed in the role of General Manager for the northern cluster (Vegetables). He has been acting in this role for the last three months and has equally excelled in this role.
He will look after the Group’s vegetable business in Zimbabwe, Zambia, Kenya and
Tanzania, reporting to the Group Operations Director.
Patrick was previously Group Head of HR. he will also continue acting in this role pending a substantive appointment.
Patrick joined the group in 2009 as HR Manager for Quton Seed Co and was promoted to the position of Operations Executive for the business prior to his promotion to Group HR Manager in 2013.
Patrick holds a BSc Honors degree in Sociology (UZ), a Master’s degree in Human Capital Management (UZ) and a Master’s degree in Business Administration – MBA (UZ). He also holds a Post Grad Diploma in Management for Executives and a Higher Diploma in Human Resources Management. Patrick is a member of the Institute of People Management of Zimbabwe.
General Manager -Vegetable Seeds Southern Cluster
Mr. Craig Nel has been confirmed in the role of General Manager for the Southern cluster (Vegetables), He will look after the Group’s vegetable business in South Africa, Botswana, Malawi and other CCU Markets, reporting to the Group Operations Director.
Craig was previously Executive Directive for Alliance seeds and will continue to maintain this role as well.
Craig is a holder of a BSc in Sports Science and is a member of the Institute of Directors of South Africa.
Country Manager – Mozambique
Mr. Aly Baraza is joining Seed co Mozambique with effect from 5th of July 2024. He is currently territory manager for Coca Cola in the Central Mozambique region.
He has several years’ experience working with multinationals in Mozambique and brings a wealth of experience in the distribution space.
The appointments are part of an on – going reorganization and further
announcements will be made in due course
I would like to wish the new appointees’ great success in the assigned roles and have no doubt you will all give them your wholesome tremendous support as usual.
MORGAN NZWERE
GROUP CHIEF EXECUTIVE
Team Seed Co comprising of Mr Kaolate, Mr Nzwere & Mr Ruwisi, accompanied by the Minister of Agriculture attended the Dubai Expo. They presented Seed Co as a brand to be reckoned with in the agricultural industry, the company being the only listed agricultural entity on the Botswana Stock Exchange (BSE) and highlighting its massive footprint on the African continent.
Seed Co sponsored the Mosisedi Field Day as main sponsors as a way of supporting the agriculture sector in Botswana by providing farmer demonstration training. During the Field Day, Mr Ruwisi & Mr Kenathsele were in the panel discussion which highlighted the need to promote agriculture production, agronomic practices and the benefits of Seed Co hybrid seeds and its participation on the BSE, Seed Co being the only agriculture company on the BSE.
Business empowerment through training our distributors in order for them to run their businesses effectively.
SOIL PHYSICS AND SOIL-LIFE, AND THEIR IMPACT ON THE CROP PRODUCTION POTENTIAL OF A FIELD
The month of August is one to put your summer crop production plans in perspective. In the last two articles we have focused on maize yields and limiting factors to crop yields in general highlighting soil pH and rainfall amounts and distribution. In this month’s issue we focus the dynamics of soil physics and biology and how these affect the production potential of crops in a particular field. In more ways than one the yield capacity of an environment is impacted by the aspects of soil physics such as texture and depth, as well as aspects of soil biology such as populations and types of microbes and soil organic matter (both humus and crop residue).
The production potential of a soil is used as a guide to determine what crops can be grown in a particular field.
At Seed Co, our commitment is to offer seed solutions to every farmer and further advise them on how to extract the best of the potential of the seed. When we echo our mantra, “It Starts With The Right Seed.”, we are emphasizing that:
✓ All crop production activities are focused on extracting a crop out of a seed and so care must taken that support inputs and operational costs are not invested in a seed variety that will not give a good return on investment;
✓ We emphasize choosing the right variety of seed is a good agronomic practice that ranks as number 1, when forecasting yields and quality of a crop;
✓ We also warn that there are consequences to wrong seed variety choice, and they can affect the bottom line of an enterprise, with a few cases where projected outputs of the entire crop production sector has been affected, when yields and even quality of a crop has been compromised resulting into crop loss.
✓Content such as is in this article is Seed Co’s signature of going an extra mile in providing advisory around the dynamics of the environment in which the seed is placed and grown, so that our esteemed farmers can obtain a desired high yielding crop. This article highlights aspects of the soil environment that must inform the way a farmer should manage their fields, in order to maintain or improve their production potential. An understanding of the aspects of soil physics such as the depth of the soil in a particular field, the structure of the soil (including soil organic matter and humus), as well as the texture of the soil (highlighting percentages of clay, sand and silt) helps as a guide to determine the production potential of a particular soil in an environment. Here we will deal with soil structure and depth, and continue with soil biology and how to practically leverage it.
To delve deep, we highlight soil texture and depth, limiting factors, and the pros and cons of cultivation practices
1. SOIL TEXTURE AND DEPTH AS IT RELATES TO THE CROP PRODUCTION POTENTIAL OF A FIELD
i) Soil texture simply refers to the relative percentage of clay, sand and silt in a layer of soil. Quantitatively, clay sand and silt particles have standard measurements and can be quantified in soil sample, and this forms one of the basis for soil classification. The feel of the soil, defined as gritty course or fine and smooth is a qualitative means of classifying a soil sample in a field. These varies in portions of a particular field, and influence crop production. Academic writings state the various particle size grades that falls under each of clay sand and silt.
Figure 1 below shows the soil texture triangle which is used to classify a soil, based on particle grades.
Grieve et al., 2012 stated that soil texture is an important soil property that drives crop production and field management.
• A soil with clay percent in the range 15 – 35% is said to have good enough colloidal forces to hold sufficient moisture and nutrients in the rooting zone of a crop.
• A soil with more silt in its top layer tends to cap a lot and would restrict rates of water infiltration, thereby impacting on amounts of plant available water, and in situations of high rainfall even cause either standing water which brings about anaerobic conditions or run-off which causes loss of top soil layers.
• A soil with high percent sand will be considered light and coarse, and will usually not have good water and nutrient holding capacity, and so its potential for crop production is compromised.
• The production potential of a soil as it relates to soil texture is also crop specific. Tuber crops will fair well in lighter soils than they will in heavy soils, while other crops will do well in heavier soils
ii) Soil depth, also known as effective soil depth as it relates to crop production potential is discussed in terms of the depth of the limiting layer. Limiting layers can be a naturally occurring underlying subsoil rock material or a mechanically formed subsoil pan as a result of uncontrolled traffic in the field, use of a plough for soil cultivation, a lack of proper timing when cultivating soils (e.g. cultivating a soil with good clay percentage under wet conditions).
Soil cultivation decisions must be made with information on type of crop to be cultivated, texture of the soil to be cultivated and effective depth of the soil. The most effective and sustainable methods of soil cultivation are conservation tillage methods which includes:
• Zero tillage; where seeding is done without disturbing the soil
• Minimum Tillage; where soil tillage is limited to planting stations or rows and includes
ripping and strip tillage.
These two methods have resulted in the breaking of hard pans, improved moisture and fertilizer conservation or use efficiency, and improved resultant crop yields.
As the summer season approaches, we recommend that you call Agronomists to walk your fields and collect soil samples for analysis and soil depth determination, so that you are advised correctly on what soil textures are in your cropping fields and what crops your fields have high potential for. Join us in the next article as we continue with the aspect of soil life, and its impact on crop production potential.
• Percentages of each of these particles determine whether a soil is heavy (≥55% clay or light (≥50% sand)
• How heavy or light a soil is impacts on its ability to hold moisture and nutrients, and its ability to release them for plant uptake. These properties of soil texture are part of determinants of a soil’s potential for crop production.
• The best characteristics of soil texture as it relates to crop production lies in the highlighted ring
By Adrian Chibanga
Chief Agronomist
Seed Co Zambia Limited
Increased soyabean production is necessary to meet an increasing domestic and global demand. Soyabean is one of the most common crops with multiple benefits to the farmer, the industry and the economy. However, current demand for soyabean in Botswana far outstrips supply, opening opportunities for farmers and the industry to plug in the disparities.
Soyabean crop is used as an affordable source of protein for livestock feeds. It is also used in making cooking oil, margarine, soya chunks, soap, milk to name a few. It is one of the richest crops in terms of crude protein (ranging between 35-45 %) and also contains 20 % oil. Indeed soyabean contributes significantly to food security in Botswana and it is therefore strategic to attain some level of autarky (or self-sufficiency) with regards to soyabean. The country requires about 220 000 Metric Tonnes of soyabean annually for food, feed and other industrial needs.
At national level the crop is critical in attaining a complete food security basket for the general populace. Currently it contributes about 2 to 3 % to the Agriculture GDP and yet the Agriculture industry contributes about 30% to the National GDP. It’s contribution to the Agriculture GDP can be more with increased production. The fact that the Agriculture industry occupies a central space in the economy of the country, cannot be overemphasized. The industry creates employment for at least 65% of the populace, directly and indirectly. This shows how essential it is to improve production and productivity levels of all the crops in the food basket such as soyabean in the country as well as non-food crops. Improving soyabean production will surely increase its contribution to the Agriculture GDP.
We can also imagine the amount of foreign exchange saving, the country will attain if the annual national requirement is produced locally.
At farm level, it is one of the short season crops with a lucrative return on investment. The general cost structure per Ha ranges from $700.00 up to $900.00, at full absorption (all direct costs incorporated), i.e. at high management level. At this level a farmer will be targeting to get at least 3.5 tonnes/Ha and even up to 6 tonnes/Ha, with Seed Co varieties. The minimum income a farmer can get using the ruling prices per of $550.00 per tonne, is about $2000.00 after a period of four and half months or less (depending on altitude and variety). It can be more with high productivity levels. It means a farmer can realize a gross return of at least $1100.00/Ha, after 4-5 months. The break-even yield level for soyabean is about 1.7 tonnes/Ha at the prevailing prices. A farmer can easily rake up to $3.00 per dollar invested.
A soyabean crop can be used for value addition on the farm, where own stockfeed can be formulated and mixed on the farm. Generally in livestock production systems, feeds constitute about 70% of the total cost structure. According to several studies, feed costs can be reduced by about 25%, if a farmer can produce the feeds on the farm. This will ultimately enhance profitability levels of the livestock ventures. Other on-farm value addition options include soap, cooking oil, milk and soya chunks/mince production.
In addition to these top line stories, the soyabean crop is also compatible with long and short rotations. Example of a long rotation is maize (summer)-soyabean (summer) which is common in many non-irrigated farming systems. Soya (summer)-wheat (winter) is an example of a short rotation (also known as double cropping system) in irrigated farming systems. Both rotation set ups are beneficial to the farmer.
Generally, the yield of a cereal crop which follows soya in a rotation is usually enhanced because of the residual nitrogen, since soyabean is a legume which fixes Nitrogen. A well-managed soyabean crop can leave a residual Nitrogen level of up to 90kg/Ha, which benefits the next crop in a rotation.
The following table shows yields of wheat following maize and soya, and at different levels of applied Nitrogen.
| The yields of wheat (t/ha) following either Maize or Soyabean at different levels of nitrogen | ||||||
| Applied Nitrogen (kg/ha) | 0 | 40 | 80 | 120 | 160 | 200 |
| Previous Crop | ||||||
| Maize | 5.5 | 7.0 | 7.3 | 8.5 | 9.1 | 9.5 |
| Soyabean | 6.4 | 7.2 | 8.0 | 9.4 | 10.0 | 9.5 |
Source: Seed Co Agronomy Manual, 2011
In rotations, the yield of maize/wheat following soyabeans is generally greater than following maize at both low and high levels of nitrogen application.
Other benefits of soyabean production
Considerations for soyabean production
As we approach the summer season, we will publish practical tips on soyabean production in the Bumper Harvest column. This week, we will highlight general considerations, which have budgeting implications. This is the right time to plan for summer.
Choosing the right variety
We always recommend farmers to plant fresh certified seed every year. Certified seed is of high quality, with good and tested germination qualities. Certified seed is also screened of seed borne diseases-which can significantly reduce yield levels. Selecting a high yielding certified, fresh seed variety is the first and critical stage in attaining high productivity levels in soyabean production, just like any other cropping system. In frank and short terms, it is best to start with fresh certified seed every season.
There are two types of soyabean varieties: determinate and indeterminate. This refers to the way the plant grows i.e. the growth habit. Determinate cultivars grow vegetatively for about six weeks and then begin to flower, having put on 10 to 12 leaves. Once flowering begins, no further new leaves are produced on the main stem. Indeterminate cultivars, on the other hand, grow vegetatively for about six weeks, then begin flowering when the main stem has about 10 leaves, but at the same time as flowering, the stem continues to grow for another three weeks or so, producing another five to seven leaves. Thus, the vegetative and reproductive growth periods overlap in indeterminate cultivars but not in determinate cultivars. Indeterminate cultivars also tend to grow taller than determinate cultivars. For these reasons, determinate cultivars are better suited to warm fast growing environments and sometimes irrigation maybe recommended.
When choosing a variety to grow in your particular farming region the following considerations are critical:
Soil condition and conditioning
Soyabeans are a legume plant suited to well drained soils with a relatively high clay content of more than 20%. The crop do not perform very well on weak/light sands but responds to manure. The crop is also sensitive to soil acidity because the bacteria which fixes nitrogen only thrives in a certain optimum pH range and are extremely sensitive to low pH (acidic soils). The optimum pH range is between 5.5 to 7 (CaCl2 scale). Since soyabean is sensitive to soil acidity, we recommend farmers to sample their soils for analysis of the soil pH (acidity or basicity) in winter. If necessary, lime should be applied at the prescribed/recommended rates to bring the soil to an optimum pH level. In fact we apply lime to sweeten acidic soils and the best time to it is NOW (after harvesting).
Germination and emergence is enhanced by preparing the soil to a fine tilth and also by structuring poorly structured soils, normally by applying gypsum during land preparation in winter. Gypsum improves soils physical structure i.e. removes hard setting clodiness, removes surface crusting/capping and poor workability as well as supplimenting the soil with Calcium and Sulphur. However gypsum application is determined by soil analysis. Again this is the most ideal time to do soil sampling and analysis i.e. after harvesting the summer crop.
Fertilization
Soyabean grow well on residual fertilizer. A full soil analysis will determine the soil nutrient status and prescribe the rates and type of basal dressing to be applied. However, a general recommendation is to apply a pre-planting basal application of 200 to 300 kg per ha of soya blend or cotton fert/compound L. This basal dressing should be incorporated by discing it under into the root zone/secondary tillage depth of 10-15cm. Soyabean also responds well to manure application. Since soyabean is able to obtain its nitrogen requirement through nitrogen fixation, we do not recommend nitrogen in the basal as well as in top dressing. Sometimes minimum nitrogen applications can be recommended especially after prolonged wet periods. Prolonged wet periods creates an anaerobic environment in the crop root zone and disturbs the functioning of the nitrogen fixing bacteria and usually result in yellowing of the crop. A light top dressing of about 75-100kg/Ha after the wet spell is usually recommended in this case depending on soil type.
It is therefore essential to apply Rhizobium inoculant to the seed at planting. This inoculant is obtainable from Seed Co. A packet (80-100g) of Rhizobium inoculant is mixed in 1 L of water for every 100 kg of seed. However, a higher rate is preferable on sandy soils or in first year soyabean fields. Adding a few teaspoons of sugar will aid sticking the culture to the seed. In some cases a wetter can also be used.
Some farmers apply straight fertilizer combinations and averting rhizobium seed dressing.
Other critical considerations include weed control, disease and pest control to attain a good crop.
Parting shots
As we prepare for another bumper season, let us keep in mind the soyabean yield determinants which include soil conditioning, land preparations, time of planting, varietal choice, weed control and irrigation. Soyabean is indeed a lucrative crop to the farmer and strategic to the nation.
Tuesday, March 8, 2022
Outpace progress with us #AREKOPANENG Agribusiness Seminar..
Terrence Chimanya, who has been serving as the Group Head of Legal/Group Secretary, has been appointed as Seed Co Zimbabwe Managing Director with effect from the 1st February 2022.
Guntila Muleya has been promoted as Seed Co Zambia International Managing Director with effect from 1st February 2022.
Fred Kusaloka, who was serving as the Head of Sales and Marketing, has been promoted to the position of Commercial Director Seed Co Zambia International with effect from 1st February 2022.
Tineyi Chatiza has been promoted to the position of Group Head – Corporate Services/ Group Secretary with effect from the 1st February 2022.
In 2018, Seed Co started a development project at Botswana University of Agriculture and Natural Resources short BUAN. It was created for the specific purposes of showcasing existing products and a trial area for new products.
We selected BUAN as our site because we had the aim to integrate students and teach them general agronomic practices and also for advertisement space for our products to the public.
Currently we are growing the following products: SC555, SC419, SC701 & Watermelon Kito.
Botswana
Seed Co Group
Kenya
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Nigeria
South Africa
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West & Central Africa
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