Gombe, Tuesday, 17 June 2025—Premier Seed Nigeria Limited, a foremost seed company in Nigeria, is set to launch its first ultra-modern seed processing plant in Gombe State, North East Nigeria. With support from the UK Government through its Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO)-funded climate and agriculture
programme, Propcom+, the plant was set up to strengthen the supply chain for improved, certified, climate-adapted seed varieties in Northeast Nigeria.
The partnership with Premier Seeds Nigeria Limited was established following their response to a call for proposals for the Climate-Smart Agriculture Catalysing Grant Facility (CSA-CGF) published by Propcom+ in May 2024. The grant facility is aimed at providing funding to agribusinesses for the acquisition of capital assets to enable them to produce and deliver climate-smart inputs, services, and technologies capable of improving smallholders’ and small-scale entrepreneurs’ productivity, while building their resilience to climate change
and improving their incomes. Premier Seeds Nigeria Limited was selected, along with several other businesses, after a successful evaluation process.
Briefing media representatives and participants at the commissioning of the new processing plant at the Muhammadu Buhari Industrial Park in Gombe State, Propcom+’s Country Representative, Dr. Adiya Ode stated that, among other things, this investment by the UK Government-funded Propcom+ would address gaps in the availability and affordability of certified seeds in the North-East region.
“This investment is vital to us in Propcom+, particularly the FCDO, as it solves a critical logistical challenge affecting smallholder farmers in Northeastern Nigeria. With this new plant, improved climate-adapted seeds can now be available to smallholder farmers at a much lower cost,” Dr. Ode stated.
“Access to improved, certified, climate-smart seed varieties that are high-yielding, flood tolerant, drought-tolerant and disease-resistant, as well as varieties that are biofortified, such as Pro-Vitamin A Maize and Iron Pearl Millet, are essential to building climate resilience among smallholder farmers and small-scale seed entrepreneurs, and we are delighted to have made this happen”.
“We congratulate the management of Premier Seeds Nigeria Limited for achieving this major feat”, Dr Ode said, adding that increased access to climate-adapted certified seeds will further improve the productivity and resilience of smallholder farmers and small-scale entrepreneurs, strengthen nutrition outcomes and contribute to improving food security in Nigeria.
Additionally, the company will leverage this investment to expand its outgrower scheme to about 2,000 smallholder farmers who will be involved in seed multiplication, and to build their capacity to reduce their vulnerability to climate shocks. Also, the certified seeds processed from the new plant in Gombe State will be distributed to the last mile through a network of seed entrepreneurs called rural seed promoters (RSPs), linked to major agro dealers in each Local Government across the six Northeastern states.
Premier Seed Nigeria Limited’s Managing Director, Dr. Ibitoye Oyewale, said the new processing plant in Gombe State is a major milestone for the company.
“For many years, we’ve been in operations in the Northwest, but this is the first processing plant we are establishing in the Northeast, and we are very appreciative of the key role played by Propcom+ through funding provided by the UK Government.” Dr. Oyewale said.
“This new plant has increased our seed processing capacity from 20 metric tons per hour to 35 metric tons per hour. By reducing the logistic cost associated with moving seeds from our only existing seed processing factory in Zaria, Kaduna State, we are bringing affordable, climate-smart seeds closer to demand centres”, he added.
For 30 years, Premier Seeds Limited has worked in the seed sub-sector in Nigeria, specialising in the production and commercialisation of high-quality seeds of various crops, optimised to suit local conditions and boost farmers’ productivity and profitability.
Propcom+ is an eight-year (2023 – 2030) FCDO-funded rural and agricultural market development programme supporting climate-resilient and sustainable agriculture and forestry that benefits people, climate, and nature. The programme aims to support 3.79 million vulnerable people, 50% of whom will be women, to adopt and scale sustainable agricultural practices that increase productivity and incomes, improve climate resilience
while reducing emissions and protecting natural ecosystems.
For more information about the Propcom+ programme in Nigeria, contact Dr. Adiya Ode at
adiya.ode@thepalladiumgroup.com.
For more information about Premier Seeds Nigeria Limited, contact Mr. Afolabi Samson at
afosammy@yahoo.com.
