Pepper perseverance, tomato triumphs, and mungbean milestones:
How a Malian seed firm grew into an R&D hub

– 27 November 2025 –

When Mali-based seed company Coprosem joined the Africa Vegetable Breeding Consortium (AVBC) in 2022, its ambitions were modest. The firm, known primarily for onion seed multiplication, was looking to strengthen its operations. Just three years later, Coprosem has expanded its portfolio to sweet peppers, tomatoes, and mungbeans, has registered multiple new varieties, and is laying the foundation for its first in-house research and development (R&D) department.

The transformation has been driven by the technical training, access to exclusive breeding lines, and collaborative opportunities offered through AVBC, a joint initiative of the World Vegetable Center (WorldVeg) and the African Seed Trade Association (AFSTA).

Persistence through pepper

Coprosem’s journey into vegetable breeding began with a setback. In 2022, the company tested sweet pepper lines during Mali’s rainy season, but the results were disastrous. Two lines collapsed under the harsh conditions, and just one plant from a third line managed to survive.

For many, this would have marked the end of the effort. But for Coprosem’s managing director, Mamoutou Dembélé, that event marked an opportunity for improvement.

Through continued collaboration with the World Vegetable Center and capacity strengthening led by the Center’s lead pepper breeder, Dr. Derek Barchenger, Coprosem gained the skills and scientific insight to understand what went wrong and how to move forward. Together, they introduced new WorldVeg pepper lines with improved climate resilience and better adaptation to local conditions.

Guided by the WorldVeg pepper breeding team, Coprosem selected and tested these new materials under Mali’s diverse growing environments. The company’s increased breeding capacity and technical knowledge paid off, Coprosem identified several high-performing lines that combined resilience, productivity, and market appeal.

After multi-season testing and national evaluation, three new resilient pepper varieties, Doubap, Terip, and Fedinap , were approved for release. These varieties represent not only an innovation in Mali’s vegetable sector, but also a milestone: Coprosem’s successful transformation from importer to domestic vegetable breeder, capable of developing varieties tailored to local farmers, markets, and climates.

The turn of tomatoes

Coprosem has been working on more than just peppers. In 2022, the company tested three tomato lines from AVBC. One round-shaped variety failed to win over farmers, but the other two performed strongly in the field. These were registered in Mali’s national catalogue as Soyita and Sebata, both already gaining acceptance among growers for their adaptability to local conditions.

Coprosem also trialed mungbeans in 2022 – its first experience with the crop. Promoted by AVBC as having a 60-day cycle, the mungbeans exceeded expectations, maturing in just 50 days under Sahelian conditions. That ten-day advantage proved critical in areas where fast crop turnover is essential.

The success quickly attracted the attention of an NGO supporting women farmers in Mali and neighbouring Sahelian countries. The NGO provides seeds and fertilizers to women’s groups, whose harvests supply school canteens and food programs for internally-displaced people. Coprosem’s mungbean lines, with their short cycle and dark-colored grains, proved an ideal fit. Two varieties have now been released, with the dual benefit of strengthening food security and boosting women farmers’ incomes.

Mamoutou now plans to cross two promising okra lines to develop an okra variety capable of year-round performance. To build capacity, Mamoutou plans to train two junior staff members in hybridization techniques. He expects them to join Coprosem’s new breeding team – an unprecedented step for a company that, until recently, focused mainly on multiplying seed produced by others.

Rising star of seeds

In just three years, Coprosem has evolved from an onion seed multiplier into an innovator in Mali’s seed sector. With peppers, tomatoes, and mungbeans already moving through the registration pipeline, the company is laying the foundation for a dedicated R&D department to develop varieties specifically adapted to Mali’s agroecological conditions.

Despite the challenges of breeding and navigating regulatory systems, Coprosem projects that its first varieties will be commercially viable by 2026. Mamoutou is confident that the strong demand already expressed by growers will ensure market success. “The foundation we have built with AVBC’s support gives us the tools to compete and to innovate,” he said.

The company’s journey highlights the value of the AVBC model: combining technical expertise, exclusive breeding materials, and training to accelerate the growth of African seed companies. As Coprosem demonstrates, the result can be transformative – not only for the company itself but for the farmers, communities, and markets it serves.

Join the Africa Vegetable Breeding Consortium today and become part of a growing community driving innovation in Africa’s vegetable seed industry. 

Established in 2018, AVBC is a joint initiative of WorldVeg and the African Seed Trade Association (AFSTA). A public-private partnership, it aims to promote the development of a strong vegetable seed sector in Africa. It provides members with exclusive, early-bird access to WorldVeg-improved vegetable breeding lines to enhance their own breeding programs. It also connects vegetable breeders, entomologists, pathologists and other researchers with seed companies and farmers.