ARDA Seeds ahead of El Niño season

Theseus Mauruki Shambare

ARDA SEEDS (Private) Limited is stepping up production of climate-smart seed varieties as Zimbabwe prepares for the expected El Niño-induced drought during the 2026/27 summer season, with the State-owned seed company urging farmers to shift towards crops and varieties suited to lower rainfall.

ARDA Seeds, whose shareholder is the Mutapa Investment Fund, is showcasing drought-tolerant small grains, oilseeds and maize varieties as part of efforts to safeguard national food and seed security.

The climate-smart varieties were developed by the Government’s Department of Research, Education and Specialist Services (DRESS) and promoted by ARDA SEEDS as part of efforts to equip farmers with seed suited to changing climatic conditions.

The development comes as Government intensifies preparations for the anticipated dry season, with farmers being encouraged to tailor their crop choices to their agro-ecological regions and adopt fast-maturing and drought-tolerant varieties.

ARDA Seeds was among State-owned entities transferred to the Mutapa Investment Fund as part of President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s restructuring of Government commercial assets, aimed at improving the management and performance of strategic State investments.

The company is now positioning its seed production capacity to support farmers with varieties capable of maintaining productivity under moisture-stressed conditions.

Speaking during the ongoing 116th Zimbabwe Agricultural Show in Harare, ARDA Seeds general manager for operations Mr Innocent Musiiwa said the company was exhibiting a range of climate-smart varieties.

The show is running under the theme “Powering Growth: Where Agriculture, Technology and Commerce Converge.”

“As you know, farmers, this year’s drought has been signposted. We are expecting the worst El Niño since 1950,” he said.

Mr Musiiwa said ARDA Seeds was promoting small grains such as Okashana pearl millet and Macia white sorghum, which can perform under marginal rainfall conditions.

“We have a lot of small grains which can contribute to high productivity despite the marginal rainfall quantities that we are expecting, like our Okashana pearl millet, and we also have Macia white sorghum variety,” he said.

The company is also promoting Msasa hybrid sunflower, which Mr Musiiwa said could provide both yield and oil-content benefits to farmers.

“On oilseeds we have our high-yielding Msasa hybrid that can actually achieve about 3.5 tonnes per hectare,” he said.

“And that Msasa is also a high oil content variety that can produce about 45 percent of oil once harvested.”

Mr Musiiwa said ARDA Seeds was also encouraging farmers to consider ZTS265 maize, which he said could withstand moisture stress.

“Our maize ZTS265 variety has been known over the years for being able to produce high yields of up to eight to 12 tonnes per hectare, even subjected to marginal rainfall,” he said.

He said the variety’s multi-cobbing ability gave it an advantage under moisture-stressed conditions.

“We pride that variety for its multi-cobbing abilities, hence, it can produce a lot of grain and maize even when grown under moisture-stressing conditions,” he said.

Mr Musiiwa said the climate-smart varieties were central to ARDA Seeds’ mandate of guaranteeing seed security and supporting increased agricultural productivity.

“Our main mandate is to make sure that we guarantee seed security to the nation by production of these climate-smart varieties,” he said.

He said improved access to appropriate seed would help farmers increase yields and incomes while contributing to national food security and the attainment of Vision 2030.

The ARDA Seeds initiative dovetails with Government’s broader drought preparedness measures, which include promoting traditional grains, sunflower, sorghum and millet in areas where maize production is expected to face greater pressure during the coming season.