Vitamin A to fight hidden hunger
HarvestPlus has developed five new varieties of maize which are rich in Vitamin A
© HarvestPlus
In Zambia, the HarvestPlus programme has used conventional crop breeding techniques to develop five new varieties of maize which are rich in Vitamin A. The varieties produce orange coloured maize cobs, and in farmer trials they have been found to yield up to six tons per hectare - similar to hybrid white maize varieties. The maize meal can be used to produce a range of foods, including the Zambian staple food nshima. With much higher levels of Vitamin A compared to normal maize, the spread of these varieties, three of which are likely to be released in 2012, will be a major weapon in Zambia’s fight against Vitamin A deficiency.
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