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Green Agriculture West Africa Ltd (GAWAL) was jointly established by Yuan Longping High-Tech Agriculture Co and the Chinese state-owned CGCOC Group Co Ltd in 2006. Operating as a subsidiary of CGCOC Agriculture Development Co Ltd, GAWAL started seed production in 2011 and became a supplier of conventional certified rice and maize seed as well as foundation rice seed under the Growth Enhancement Support Scheme of the Nigerian Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. In 2017, the company commercialized a rice hybrid.
Access to Seeds Index
Western and Central Africa
GAWAL ranks at the bottom of the 2019 Index for Western and Central Africa. The company’s seed production activities and extension services for its producers, coupled with commitments to ensuring food security in the region, give a small boost to its comparatively low score. Overall, the company discloses little information, and it could do more to link its activities to the needs of smallholder farmers in the region.
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| Seed type | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hybrid | OPV | GM | |||
| Field crops | |||||
| Rice, paddy | |||||
| Maize | |||||
No leading practices were identified.
GAWAL is encouraged to disclose the full scope of its access to seeds-related activities in Western and Central Africa.
GAWAL is a member of the Seed Council of Nigeria.
To promote the implementation of the China- Africa Ten Cooperation Plans aimed at improving agricultural development in Nigeria and achieving agricultural modernization, GAWAL’s parent CGCOC Group organized the opening ceremony of the 2016 and 2017 Overseas Training Course on Agricultural Techniques for Nigeria in Abuja. The meetings were attended by Chinese and Nigerian government officials. Trainees from different states in Nigeria attended this program, which included courses on soil and fertilizer science, seed production, rice cultivation and agro-machinery practices.
As Nigeria suffers from rice shortages – the crop is imported on a large scale – the company commenced conducting variety trials in Nigeria and has developed and introduced a rice variety, GAWAL R1. The variety is resistant to blast disease, reportedly increases smallholder farmer productivity and is distributed throughout Nigeria.
As part of the Growth Enhancement Support Scheme of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in Nigeria, GAWAL has established seed production cooperatives and training courses in rice and maize production. Through these cooperatives, it works with more than 5,000 farmers in seven communities in Nigeria.
Access to Seeds Index
Western and Central Africa
