June 19, 2026
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Figure 1 Hybrid maize seed growers and key seed sector stakeholders gather for an under-tree discussion to share field insights and drive agricultural progress (Photo; Kaji Ram Bhatta).
A high-level field mission highlights how coordinated investment in seed systems, innovation, and varietal turnover can strengthen Nepal’s food security and reduce dependence on imported seed.
As the country’s second most important cereal crop after rice, maize plays a central role in food security, livestock feed supply, and rural livelihoods. Demand for maize continues to grow, driven by expanding poultry and feed industries, changing consumption patterns, and increasing pressure to produce more food from limited land. Yet despite significant progress in maize production, Nepal remains heavily dependent on imported hybrid seed.
Over the last eight years, a unique partnership involving the Nepal Agricultural Research Council (NARC), the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), federal and provincial government agencies, private seed companies, and farmer cooperatives has demonstrated that domestic hybrid maize seed production is both technically feasible and commercially viable.
A recent high-level field monitoring mission to hybrid maize seed production sites in Kailali and Dang districts showcased the achievements of this partnership while identifying the next set of investments needed to sustain and scale its impact.
A Partnership Model Delivering Results
When local hybrid maize seed production was initiated in 2017/18, only one hectare was under production during the winter season. Through coordinated technical support, capacity development, and market engagement, domestic hybrid seed production expanded to nearly 100 hectares in the subsequent years.
The success has been driven by a clear division of roles among partners. NARC, through the National Maize Research Program, developed hybrid varieties and provided scientific leadership. CIMMYT supported technical capacity strengthening, partnership building, and seed system development. Government agencies at federal, provincial, and local levels facilitated extension support and farmer engagement. Private seed companies invested in maintenance of inbred-lines, seed multiplication, processing, and marketing, while farmer cooperatives became the backbone of seed production.
The field visit revealed strong collaboration among these actors, resulting in improved technical capacity, successful seed production enterprises, and increased farmer participation in hybrid seed production. Importantly, farmers reported that hybrid maize seed production generates higher returns than alternative winter crops, creating a compelling business case for continued expansion. This experience demonstrates that effective public-private partnerships can successfully bridge the gap between research, seed production, and farmer adoption.
The Next Challenge: Accelerating Varietal Turnover
While the seed production system has expanded significantly, the field mission also highlighted a critical challenge that threatens future growth. Most domestic hybrid seed production remains concentrated on a very limited number of hybrids.
Although these few varieties played an important role in establishing Nepal’s domestic hybrid seed industry, farmers, seed companies, and government stakeholders consistently emphasized the need for a broader portfolio of competitive hybrids that offer higher yields, improved stress tolerance, shorter maturity periods, higher density and better adaptation to diverse production environments.
The lack of varietal diversity creates several challenges. Local seed companies face marketing problems when dealing with few products. Farmers have limited choices to meet their production needs. Most importantly, the pace of varietal replacement remains slow, reducing
the ability of Nepal’s maize sector to benefit from advances in breeding and stress-resilient genetics, all of which reinforce the need for continuous product improvement and stronger research-to-market linkages.
Stakeholders agreed that sustaining the gains achieved so far will depend not only on producing more seed but also on ensuring a continuous pipeline of superior maize hybrids that respond to farmers’ demand and market opportunities.
From Seed Production to Seed Innovation
Recognizing these challenges, stakeholders convened immediately following the field visit to discuss the establishment of an All Nepal Coordinated Maize Evaluation Network (ANCMEN).
The proposed network would create a structured national platform for coordinated testing and evaluation of maize varieties across Nepal’s major agroecological zones. It would bring together public research institutions, private seed companies, universities, government agencies, and development partners to jointly evaluate promising hybrids and accelerate their advancement toward commercialization.
The need for such a platform is increasingly evident. Currently, public and private sector actors often conduct variety evaluations independently, resulting in duplication of effort, inefficient use of resources, and slow progression of promising materials through the release and commercialization process. Private seed companies possess market knowledge, farmer networks, and growing research capacity but often lack access to the multi-location testing infrastructure required for comprehensive evaluation. Meanwhile, public institutions possess extensive testing facilities and scientific expertise but can benefit from stronger market feedback and private-sector engagement.
Figure 4 Key maize seed stakeholders gather for a collaborative consultation to lay the groundwork for establishing ANCMEN, aiming to strengthen domestic hybrid seeds and varieties networks. (Photo: Mohan Mahtao).
ANCMEN seeks to bridge this gap. By creating a coordinated framework for varietal evaluation, data sharing, and collaborative research, the network would help shorten the time required to identify, test, release, and commercialize superior maize varieties. Similar systems have successfully accelerated varietal turnover and strengthened seed sectors in neighboring countries, including India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan.
For Nepal, such a platform could become a transformative mechanism for strengthening national seed industry while improving farmers’ access to stress-resilient and market-responsive varieties.
An investment opportunity with system-wide impact
The progress observed in Kailali and Dang demonstrates that Nepal has already built many of the foundations required for a vibrant domestic hybrid maize seed sector. Farmers possess the skills to produce hybrid seeds. Seed companies have invested in multiplication and marketing systems. Research institutions have generated promising genetic materials. The next phase requires investment in innovation. Supporting coordinated varietal evaluation, breeding programs, quality assurance systems, seed technology research, and public-private innovation platforms will be essential for sustaining the momentum achieved to date.
Accelerated varietal turnover is not simply a research objective, it is a pathway to higher productivity, greater stress resilience, stronger private-sector participation, and reduced dependence on imported seed.
The partnership model established through the collaboration of NARC, CIMMYT, government agencies, seed companies, and farmer organizations has already demonstrated what is possible. With targeted investment and continued collaboration, Nepal now has an opportunity to transition from building a domestic seed production system to creating a dynamic innovation ecosystem capable of delivering the next generation of maize varieties to farmers across the country.
Such investments will strengthen food security, createemployment opportunities across the seed value chain, support rural livelihoods, and help ensure that Nepal’s maize sector remains competitive and resilient in the face of evolving climatic and market challenges.
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