Bayer Opens Corn Seed Facility in Zambia

USAgNet - 04/03/2025

Bayer announced the opening of a new maize seed facility in Kabwe, Zambia. Through the 32-million-euro facility alongside further investments in organization and the grower network, Bayer triples its existing capacity for high-quality maize seed production in the country in 2025. This capacity ultimately converts into annual maize consumption of approximately 30 million people in the region. The seed output is expected to further increase in the coming years. The high-yielding seeds will reach 6.4 million smallholder farmers in Zambia and other countries in Sub-Saharan Africa this year and up to 10 million by 2030. To date, the investment is the second largest private investment by a German company in Zambia.

"Millions of people around the world, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa, suffer from severe food insecurity. Ending hunger is central to our mission at Bayer. With our new seed facility in Zambia, we want to make a meaningful contribution to that crucial goal," said Chief Executive Officer Bill Anderson, who inaugurated the site alongside his excellency Hakainde Hichilema, President of Zambia.

Despite its vast arable land and significant agricultural potential, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa, one in five people on the continent face food and nutrition insecurity. Key reasons for this include limited agronomic knowledge and access to modern technology. With its new site, Bayer is helping to address these challenges by increasing both the quantity and especially the quality of available certified seeds, offering higher yields and enhanced resilience to climate and disease. Alongside stewardship and agronomic training, these conventional hybrid maize seeds empower farmers in Zambia and neighboring countries to produce more food more efficiently, thereby increasing their productivity and contributing to food security.

This particularly accounts for smallholder farmers, who on average cultivate crops on less than 10 hectares and produce up to 70 percent of the food consumed on the continent. "Enhanced productivity not only increases food security, but it makes a tremendous difference for the livelihoods of smallholder farmers, their families, and even their communities," said Debra Mallowah, Head for Bayer's Crop Science Division in Africa. By addressing up to 10 million smallholder farmers, the investment significantly helps to advance Bayer's goal of reaching 21.5 million smallholders in Africa and 100 million globally by 2030.

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