NASECO

Nalweyo Seed Company (NASECO), founded in 1996, is Uganda's first private seed company, specializing in breeding, producing, and marketing improved seeds. Its core business involves the multiplication, processing, and distribution of hybrid and open-pollinated varieties of field crops and vegetables. The company's portfolio includes major cereals and pulses such as maize, rice, sunflower, sorghum, beans, and soybeans.

NASECO's business model is centered on serving smallholder farmers, who are its main clientele. It markets products through a network of wholesale and retail distributors, as well as to local and international non-governmental organizations across Uganda and the wider Great Lakes region, including Southern Sudan and Eastern Congo. The company employs a network of Product Placement Officers (PPOs) to create product awareness, provide agronomic training, and reach remote areas using low-cost transport. To improve accessibility, NASECO offers affordability schemes like wholesale prices for farmer groups, free delivery for large orders, and interest-free loans for agricultural inputs. It also provides seeds in smaller package sizes, as small as 250g, to help farmers transition from subsistence farming.

The company operates its own breeding program in Uganda, developing varieties with traits beneficial to smallholder farmers, such as disease resistance and drought tolerance. NASECO is also a significant contributor to genetic conservation, donating materials to CGIAR centers and the Uganda national gene bank. It engages local farmer groups and cooperatives in seed production under contract, ensuring compliance with labor laws that prohibit child and forced labor.

Keywords: agricultural seeds, hybrid seeds, open-pollinated varieties, seed breeding, Uganda agriculture, smallholder farmers, crop genetics, maize seed, rice seed, sorghum seed, seed distribution, agronomic training, East Africa agriculture, seed production, agribusiness, food security, crop improvement, sunflower seeds, beans, soybeans