After the cultivation of superior seed cultivars, the effective multiplication and distribution of that seed are the next vital steps in the fight against famine and poverty.

Five years ago, the prominent seed company from South Africa, KLEIN KAROO Seed Marketing (K2), approached Kevin Kleemann-Wright to extend their operations into Zambia. Since K2 Seed is one of the few companies that offer the whole agricultural seed range and since Zambia allows almost any crop to grow to its full potential, he saw this offer as a brilliant opportunity. He proceeded with the operation and became the Director of K2 Seed Zambia. K2 Seed started to import heirloom seed from their cultivation plants in South Africa and Zimbabwe.

On their 80 hectare farm in Chisamba, K2 Seed performs a wide variety of trials and demonstrations to proof the value of their products. With more than 400 seed lines, the farm can really become a beehive of activity. “K2 Seed \ puts a strong focus on our social responsibility and besides the school for 300 students on the farm under my wife’s management, we also create job opportunities by keeping our operations labour friendly. We have 45 employees in the plant, eight extension officers, and eight employees in our head office in Lusaka,” Kevin says.

A couple of contract farmers help Kevin to multiply the different cultivars on their farms. The harvested seed is then transported to the K2 Seed treatment and filling plant in Chisamba. No drying is necessary. When the maize cobs arrive at the plant, the workers manually remove all the bad kernels from every cob before it is sent to the thrasher. After thrashing the dust is removed. The next machine in the production line is a gravity table which separates the light and heavy seeds. The heavy seeds are send to the colouring plant and the light seeds are taken away to be used for commercial purposes.

“The seeds are coloured with our own green brand colour which is mixed on site. We include insecticides and fungicides for the critical first few days after germination. A special dose of stem borer insecticide is applied since it is a big problem in Zambia,” Japie du Plooy, Plant Manager and Distribution Officer, says.

“The maize seed varieties we bag here are the KKS501, KKS505, KKS603, KKS607, and KKS609 series.”  After every bag is filled, it is stitched closed and provided with a label on which all the relevant information about the seed is printed. For efficient distribution, K2 Seed divided the country into four areas, appointed to four area managers. Each of the area managers identify and contract four or five agents with their own distribution points. Each area has two extension officers on motorcycles to organise farmers’ days and to assist the farmers with training and after sales services.

K2 Seed is also audited on a regular basis and every section of their plant is certified. On top of that, the Seed Controller Certification Institute (SCCI) has to issue a germination certificate for every lot of 800 bags leaving the plant.

K2 Seed’s top quality seed is within your reach. Contact Kevin Kleemann-Wright at kevin@seedmarketing.co.za or +26 097-776-2111 or +26 021-184-0965.

Japie du Plooy, Plant Manager and
Distribution Officer, and Kevin
Kleemann-Wright, Director of K2
Seed Zambia, standing in front of
unprocessed seed received from
their contract farmers.

From the colouring plant, the seed goes to
the filling plant where it is packed in five,
ten and twenty-five kilogram bags.

Japie du Plooy is very proud of the
K2 Seed brand.