Nodumax is a soybean inoculant produced in a clean and controlled environment. It has a long shelf-life of up to 18 months when stored below 20 °C.
The inoculant is produced at the Nodumax building in the Business Incubation Platform (BIP) complex at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Ibadan. The facility has the capacity to produce up to 18 tons of inoculant annually. The yearly production is pre-financed by Springfield Agro Limited under an agreement billed to last from 2019 to 2023.
Mandate
The mandate for IITA BIP is to develop Nodumax and commercialize it through the private or public sectors under Joint Ventures (JV) or partnership agreements in Nigeria and to extend our reach to other African countries.
The target is to capture a minimum of 10% of the market share in Nigeria, which translates to more than 35 tons of production annually. The move will create a more robust and broader market for the product.
Product registration and Market across Africa
Nodumax’ market spreads throughout Nigeria and other African countries like Ghana, Burkina Faso, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Mozambique, Mali, DR Congo, Sudan and Gambia.
The product is currently registered in three African countries – Nigeria, Ghana and Mozambique.
Efficacy Trial
To prove the multi-location efficacy of Nodumax, IITA-BIP is conducting efficacy trials in various African agricultural zones. A trial has already been carried out at the IITA headquarters in Ibadan, Nigeria, and one is currently ongoing in Burkina Faso. The tests in the different agro-ecological zones in Nigeria and Sudan will commence soon.
Benefits of using Nodumax
Nodumax increases soybean yield by 35 to 40% per hectare. The inoculant captures nitrogen from the air and makes it available for the plant as fertilizer. It has a residual Nitrogen impact in the soil for the next crop. The product helps farmers to eliminate the cost of synthetic nitrogen fertilizers.
Nodumax is a natural product based on the activities of the beneficial rhizobia bacteria. It is non-toxic and environmentally friendly.
Next step
The IITA Business Incubation Platform is going into a partnership and JV agreement with two prominent private sector players to take Nodumax to the next level in the Nigerian and Ghanaian markets.
Flour Mills of Nigeria (FMN) would scale up Nodumax with full automation and align with Springfield Agro Limited for higher production and better market outreach. FMN is one of the major players in soybean production in Nigeria. The company’s over 5000 active soybean farmers will ultimately benefit from the commercialization effort.