Proceedings of the Fifth Asian Regional Maize Workshop - Search ...

when grown under farmers' conditions, hybrids developed by public
sector research institutions provided a large yield advantage (as well
as other desirable characteristics) compared to local varieties.
- private seed companies or cooperatives (public seed companies, in the
case of China) were able to produce and market quality seed at affordable
prices
public extension services played an important role in widely
demonstrating the technology in farmers' fields and in educating farmers
about the need to replace seed annually.
Perhaps the single most important lesson emerging from the early success stories was
that hybrid maize can be appropriate under a wide range of production conditions and
levels of management. The realization that hybrids could be suitable for less than optimal
production conditions soon led to a significant change in hybrid development strategies.
Although many researchers and policy makers previously had argued that hybrids should be
promoted only when average yields reach a threshold level of about 2.5 - 3.0 t/ha, these
success stories demonstrated that small-scale farmers can profitably adopt hybrid seed in
situations where average yields are still quite low. For example, Cuti~ (1975) documented
the successful adoption of hybrids in El salvador, where yields averaged only 1 - 1.5
t/ha, and Rohrbach (1989) described adoption taking place in dry areas of Zimbabwe where
average yields average only about 0.6 t/ha.
With the realization that hybrid maize technologies can be appropriate even for
small-scale farmers, attention within CIMMYT and in many national breeding programs
shifted back to hybrids. This shift in focus was subsequently reflected in the mix of
products coming out of national breeding programs (Figure 3). Since 1985, the number of
hybrids released has increased relative to the number of OPVs, and sales of hybrid seed
have risen dramatically. Hybrid seed sales have risen even in countries where improved
OPVs had been very popular, such as Thailand and India.
Although the success stories described above no doubt played a role in the shift in
attention back to hybrids, institutional and policy changes have also contributed to the
surge in hybrid use. Particularly during the 198Os, many countries enacted laws designed
-to encourage greater participation by the private sector in seed production and marketing
activities. These changes were often supported by the implementation of policies designed
to promote foreign investment in seed industries, leading to the entry of multinational
seed companies into many markets.
3. EOOI'lC8ics of adopting hybrid maize
Economic as well as non-economic factors influence the farmer's decision whether or
not to adopt hybrid maize (Figure 4). Economic factors affect the profitability of growing
hybrids, while non-economic factors affect the farmer's knowledge of the technology,
access to the technology, and the perceived riskiness of adopting the technology. The main
economic factors influencing the adoption of hybrid maize are discussed below.
3.1. Price of hybrid seed
Since hybrid seed must be purchased annually, the price of seed is potentially
important in the adoption decision, especially in the case of small-scale farmers for whom
cash availability is usually a constraint. The price of hybrid seed varies tremendously
from one country to another (Figure 5), depending on various factors:
- the type of hybrid. The seed yield of parental inbred lines varies
depending on the type of hybrid, resulting in large differences in production
costs. seed of single-cross hybrids is generally the most expensive
to produce, while seed of non-conventional (top-cross) hybrids is
usually the least costly (Figure 6).
6. Maiie seed-to-grain price ratios, by seed type.
- net seed yields. Even for a given type of hybrid, the cost of
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