Promotion actions for sorghum and maize seeds in Iran and Turkey

Sorghum and maize seeds produced in the EU grow into crops with multiple outlets, superior drought resistance and economic value, in turn offering many opportunities in third countries. The EU’s promotional programme has the ability to trigger significant developments within a limited budget.  Maize and sorghum are respectively the 1st and 5th most cultivated cereals worldwide, with many uses, especially in animal feed, human food and industrial processing. In existence for nearly 50 years, the FNPSMS (National Federation for the Production of Maize and Sorghum Seeds) has been promoting maize seeds (a product similar to sorghum seeds) at the European level for the past 10 years. With its technical expertise and well-established communications network, the FNPSMS is an experienced organisation, optimally placed to carry out this programme successfully. The FNPSMS intends to promote sorghum seeds in two non-EU countries: Iran and Turkey; and maize seeds in Iran only. These countries were selected for their climate, potential gains in acreage and market share. The EU’s seed selection is indeed particularly well adapted to the climate of both countries, offering better drought resistance, earlier harvesting dates and lower water consumption. Iran’s extremely favourable political context in terms of backing animal feed crops to develop poultry exports justifies the addition of maize to this market only. The aim of this “B2B” campaign is to improve farmers’ and other agricultural professionals’ knowledge about sorghum/maize, increase sorghum/maize acreage and expand market shares for EU sorghum/maize seed producers. The programme promotes the quality of European sorghum/maize seeds as against their local and global competitors.  The proposed catalogue of actions addresses all specialised stakeholders, through both broad channels and targeted means. The total budget for this promotional programme amounts to EUR 591 903 over 3 years (EUR 197 301 / year on average).