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Location: Eastern Africa

Eight new CIMMYT maize hybrids available from Eastern Africa breeding program

How does CIMMYT’s improved maize get to the farmer?

CIMMYT is happy to announce eight new, improved tropical maize hybrids that are now available for uptake by public and private sector partners, especially those interested in marketing or disseminating hybrid maize seed across eastern Africa and similar agroecologies in other regions. NARES and seed companies are hereby invited to apply for licenses to pursue national release, scale-up seed production, and deliver these maize hybrids to farming communities.

Newly available CIMMYT hybrids Key traits
CIM22EAPP1-01-08 Intermediate-maturing, white, high yielding, drought tolerant, NUE, and resistant to GLS, TLB, MSV, ear rots, and root & stalk lodging tolerance
CIM22EAPP1-01-16
CIM22EAPP1-02-02 Early maturing, white, high yielding, drought tolerant, NUE, and resistant to MLN, MSV, GLS, TLB, ear rots, and root & stalk lodging tolerance
CIM22EAPP1-02-09
CIM22EAPP1-02-18
CIM22EAPP2-03 Late maturing, white, high yielding, drought tolerant, NUE, and resistant to MSV, GLS, TLB, rust, ear rots, and root & stalk lodging tolerance
CIM22EAPP2-07
CIM21EAPP3-38 Late-maturing, high-yielding, white-grain maize hybrid bred for the highlands, with resistance to GLS, TLB, rust, ear rots, and root & stalk lodging tolerance

 

Performance data Download CIMMYT Eastern Africa Maize Regional On-Station (Stage 4) and On-Farm (Stage 5) Trials: Results of the 2022 to 2023 Seasons and Product Announcement from Dataverse.
How to apply Visit CIMMYT’s maize product allocation page for details.
Application deadline The deadline to submit applications to be considered during the first round of allocations is 15 May 2024. Applications received after that deadline are still welcome but will be considered during subsequent rounds of product allocations.

 

The newly available CIMMYT maize hybrids were identified through rigorous, years-long trialing and a stage-gate advancement process which culminated in the 2023 Eastern Africa Regional On-Farm Trials. The products were found to meet the stringent performance and farmer acceptance criteria for CIMMYT’s breeding pipelines that are designed to generate products tailored in particular for smallholder farmers in stress-prone agroecologies of eastern Africa.

Applications must be accompanied by a proposed commercialization plan for each product being requested. Applications may be submitted online via the CIMMYT Maize Licensing Portal and will be reviewed in accordance with CIMMYT’s Principles and Procedures for Acquisition and use of CIMMYT maize hybrids and OPVs for commercialization. Specific questions or issues faced with regard to the application process may be addressed to GMP-CIMMYT@cgiar.org with attention to Nicholas Davis, program manager, Global Maize Program, CIMMYT.

APPLY FOR A LICENSE

Dragan Milic

Dragan Milic is responsible for providing support to the National Agriculture Research Systems (NARS) in Africa, assisting them in the development of breeding improvement plans aimed at delivering increased genetic gains for smallholder farmers. These enhancement strategies will specifically target product profiles, optimization of breeding schemes, utilization of genotyping, automation, mechanization, appropriate breeding software, and establishment of connections with seed producers.

Milić also extends support to national breeding teams in African countries, implementing a comprehensive internal breeding pipeline optimization plan supported by the Excellence in Breeding platform. Furthermore, he assists national partners in integrating and establishing breeding networks with CGIAR institutes and regional and national collaborators.

Before joining CIMMYT, Dragan Milić spent his professional career at the Institute of Field and Vegetable Crops (IFVCNS) in Novi Sad, Serbia. He served as the Head of the Forage Breeding team at IFVCNS and possesses over 20 years of experience in breeding, seed production, and leadership in conventional and molecular alfalfa/forage breeding. Dragan Milić has been a visiting scientist at the Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation and UC Davis through different scholarships funded by the Serbian and US governments.

His main expertise is related to forage and grain legumes breeding, field-based experiment phenotyping, legume genetics, and forage and grain legumes seed systems. He was involved in defining strategies based on conventional and molecular breeding efforts towards variety selection and the development of improved forage/alfalfa germplasm for Southern East Europe and Asia. Dragan is the author of many alfalfa/grain legumes varieties released in Serbia, Belarus, Morocco, Turkey, Ukraine, and the EU.

Lennin Musundire

Lennin Musundire is responsible for supporting the National Agriculture Research Systems (NARS) in Africa to develop breeding improvement plans to deliver higher genetic gains targeted at smallholder farmers. These improvement plans will focus on product profiles, breeding scheme optimization, use of genotyping, automation, mechanization, appropriate breeding software and links with seed producers. Provides support to national breeding teams in African countries, implements an all-inclusive internal breeding pipeline optimization plan supported by the Excellence in Breeding platform as well as supports national partners to integrate and build breeding networks with CGIAR institutes and regional, national partners.

 

Peter Setimela

Peter Setimela is CIMMYT Country Representative for Zambia and Legume Seed Systems Lead for the AID- Project.

Setimela is a seed systems scientist with over 20 years of experience in CG centers, universities, and national agricultural research institutes.

A credible and innovative scientist with strong technical, commercial, and financial acumen and extensive experience in leading multi-cultural teams to deliver ground-breaking agricultural initiatives primarily in the Eastern and Southern African regions. Demonstrates a comprehensive portfolio of skills including research and development, technology scaling, program management, advocacy, partnerships, capacity building, logistics, team leadership, operations, fundraising, and training. An adaptable and resilient leader with strong communication and influencing skills and the ability to unite diverse agendas to achieve outstanding results.