Prime Seed Co Zambia was established here under the new name of African Seed Company in 2017.

From 2018, the Business has been on a growth trajectory agenda and has since grown the Product Development and Trial function capabilities to increase the product basket necessitated by the growing market demand and the African Seed Company’s ability to meet and exceed satisfying the market demand. These efforts have seen the introduction of Majesty F1 cabbage, Beans Salima and new hybrid tomatoes and onions.

The addition of the Channel Development portfolio has been a strategic intent to focus on developing the trade channels to date to now include listing in the modern trade and growing the number of young plant raisers.

Today African Seed Company has invested in a Packaging Machine well over USD$100,000 to facilitate the easy of Product Availability enhancing the SUPPLY CHAIN efficiency.

Have questions? We would love to help.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can't find the answer you are looking for? We have shared some of our frequently asked questions to help you out.

(a).Cabbage: VS209 F1

  • It is an all year round crop
  • Maturing at 75days
  • Average head weight 5kg+
  • Good tolerance to Cabbage yellows & Black rot
  • Good field holding days 14 +
  • Round flat head & Field uniformity
  • Plant population 40-45,000 plants /ha (Spacing of 60cm between rows and 50 between plants)
  • Yield per ha 60-120metric tones
  • Seed requirements per ha 200g

(b).Tomato:Alambra F1

  • Versatile farmer friendly variety for open & Tunnel cropping
  • Vigorous plant
  • Maturity 75-80 Days
  • Thick fresh/Good shelf life 10-14 days
  • Deep red round fruits 150-180g
  • Presence of green in Candela
  • Good disease package (TYLC, TMV, Fusariun wilt, blights, leaf mold & Nematodes)
  • Plant height 1.7-8m open field and 3m in the tunnel
  • Harvesting period is 6+ months tunnel and 3 months open field under good management
  • Yield 90-140mt/ha
  • Seed requirements per ha is 100g
  • Plant population 17,000 plant per ha (Spacing 40cm between plants & 150m between rows)

(c).Candela F1

  • Versatile variety
  • Greenhouse and open field production
  • Maturity 80-90 days
  • Vigorous plant
  • Round deep red round fruits 190-250g
  • plant height 1.7.-8m open field & 3m in tunnel
  • Good shelf life 10 days +
  • harvesting period 3 months open field and 6months + in the green house under good management
  • Firm fruits
  • HR: TYLVC, TMV Bacterial wilt
  • Yield 90-130 tn\ha
  • Plant population 17,000 plant per ha (spacing 40cm between plants&150m between rows)
  • Seed requirements per Ha 100g

4. Sweet Peppers: (a). Hercules F1-Red

  • Green house & open field production
  • Plant height 50-70cm
  • Bush plant more leafy for fruit protection
  • Blocky elongated fruit deep red 200-280g/fruit
  • Average 8-10 fruits per plant
  • Firm and thick fresh/Good shelf life
  • Good disease resistance package TMV\CMV\PeMV
  • Both open & greenhouse farming
  • Yield per Ha 60-80 metric tons
  • Early maturity 70-75 days
  • Plant population 25,000 /Ha
  • Seed requirements per Ha 20Packets by 1000 seed pack

(d).Solanor F1-yellow pepper

  • Green house & open field production
  • Plant height 80cm
  • Maturity 80-90 days
  • Average fruit weight 250-280g
  • Bright yellow fruit Blocky elongated
  • 8-10 fruits per Plant
  • Good disease package TMV, CMV & PeMV
  • Yield per Ha 60-80 metric Tons
  • Firm thick fresh/Good shelf life
  • Plant population 20,000 plants /Ha
  • Seed requirements per Ha 20 Packets (1000 seed packs)

(e). Rape Rampart

  • All year round crop
  • Improved superior variety (Hobson)
  • Maturity 30 days after transplanting
  • Big tender taste leaves
  • 4-6 months harvesting period
  • Yield 8-15Tona/Ha
  • Seed requirements 200g /Ha
  • Plant population 80,000-100,000/Ha

(f). ONION-Regent F1

  • Growing period March to July(Early August if late)
  • Good disease resistance package (HR: Purple Blotch and Powderly mildew
  • Round Globe yellow bulb
  • Short day variety 90-100 days
  • Good storability 4+ months
  • Non Bolting variety
  • Slim neck for easy curing\drying
  • Seed requirements per Ha 4kg
  • Plant population 600,000-1000, 000 plants \HA
  • Yield 40-60 Tons\Ha

(h). SQUASH BUTTERNUT: ULTRAF1

  • 80-90 days
  • Fruit size 2-6kg
  • Vigorous Plant
  • Good leaf cover
  • Dark orange interior
  • Sweet taste
  • For Short day production
  • Yield 60-90 Tons/Ha
  • Good disease tolerance
  • Seed requirements per Ha 1.5-2kg/or 10 Sachets by 1000seed pack

(i). WATERMELON: KITO F1

  • High yielder vigorous plant 100-140metric tones /Ha
  • Maturity 75-90 days summer crop
  • Deep red interior Fresh
  • Excellent flavor
  • Plant population 8000/Ha
  • Spacing 2m by 60cm

Time of Planting Crops
Winter Broccoli,Cauliflower,Lettuce
All year Round Tomato, Sweet pepper, Cabbage, Carrot, rape, Chinese & Spinach.
Summer Butternuts,Cucumber,Eggplant,Sweetcorn,Okra,Finebeans,
watermelon
Feb-Mar Onion

CROP INROW SPACING INTERROW SPACING
Tomato 30cm(open field) 1,5-2m
40cm(Tunnel) 1.5-2m
Sweet peppers 50cm 40cm
Eggplant 75cm 50cm
Cabbage 60cm 50cm for big heads
50cm 50cm for small heads
Onion 8-11cm 15cm
Carrot 8-11cm 15cm
Rape, Spinach & Chinese 30cm 30cm
Butternuts 50cm 1.5cm
Watermelon 80cm 1.5cm
Cucumber 50cn 1.5cm
Green beans 8cm 20cm
Sweetcorn 25cm 75cm

CROP DAYS TO MATURITY
Tomato 75-80days
Sweet pepper 80-90 days
Sweetcorn 90 days
Cabbage 75-80 days
Carrot 90-110 days
Okra 55-60 days
Onion 90-110 days
Butternuts 75-80 days
watermelon 80-90 days
Rape 21-30 days
Cucumber 55-60 days
Chinese Cabbage 35-40 days
Spinach 45-50 days

The following are the best management practices for vegetable growing:

  • Regular weeding /ensuring cleanliness in the field
  • Scouting for diseases and Pests
  • Proper nutrition or fertilizer application
  • Trellising or training in crops like tomato, cucumber and Sweet peppers
  • Aeration
  • Pest and Disease control
  • Crop rotation
  • Correct watering
  • Soil health(amendments)

Different vegetables mature at different days, but the best time to harvest vegetables is when they are fully matured or when they have attained there physiological maturity.

Seeds Number of seeds /HA
Cucumber 1kg
Tomato 200g/15-20,000
Pepper 200g/20,000 seeds
Onion 4-8kg
Eggplant 200g
Okra 8kg
Cabbage 200g
Rape 200g
Butternuts 1.5-2kg
Watermelon 3-5kg
Sweetcorn 8kg
Carrot 2kg
Lettuce 150g
Green beans 100kg
Spinach 200g
Chinese Cabbage 200g

The best answer to this question is planting frost tolerant, cool season crops that can withstand harsh cold weather e.g. broccoli, cabbage, Cauliflower, lettuce etc. But you can artificially increase temperature in winter by the use of heaters in the greenhouse or artificial lighting in the field that produces heat. Traditionally farmers would fence the edge of the garden to help keep plants off colds. The use of Products like Vapour guard can also help a great deal.

Determinate tomatoes are varieties that grow to a fixed mature size, ripen all their fruit in a short period (usually between 10-15days) and are “bush” tomatoes. Once this first flush of fruit has ripened, the plant will begin to diminish in vigour and will set little to no new fruit.

Indeterminate tomato varieties are vining plants that continue growing in length throughout the growing season, which is why they often are referred to as vining tomatoes. They continually set and ripen fruit through thire entire growing season and as a result, they give a slow and steady supply of tomatoes.

Crop Varieties Yield (t/ha)
Beans Green F1 Salima 12-15 t
Beetroot OPV Dark Detroit red 25-40 t
Broccoli F1 Cigno 15 -20t
Corato
Formosa
Cabbage OPV Copenhagen market 33000h
Sugarloaf
Cabbage F1 Dixit 33 000h
Majesty
Vikima VS209
Carrot OPV Kuroda 15-20 t
Nantes
Cauliflower F1 Nevada 30-40 t
Cucumber Greenhouse F1 Dreamliner 400 000heads
Cucumber OPV Ashley 8t
Eggplant OPV Black beauty 15t
Lettuce OPV Great Lakes 90000 heads
Okra OPV Clemson spineless 10 t
Onion OPV Red creole 5-10 t
Texas grano
Pepper OPV Carlifornia wonder 10-12t
Peppers F1 Hercules 45-90 t
Red prime
Solanor
Sunshine
Rape OPV English Giant 90-120 t
Rampart
Spinach OPV Fordhook 15-20 t
Squash butternut OPV Waltham 20-25 t
Squash butternut F1 Avalon 70-90 t
Prism
Tomato Indeterminate F1 Alambra 150-250t
Candela
Oasis
Tomato Greenhouse F1 Alambra 300-400t
Candela
Oasis
Tomato Determinate F1 Daisy 80-150 t
Htx14
Jackpot
Pietrarossa
Tomato OPV Tengeru 97 40-50t
Watermelon OPV Crimson sweet 15 t
Watermelon F1 Kito 70-100 t
Tajiri