ABAPHANDI neengcali zabalimi baseAfrika bayifumene impendulo kwinkxalabo yamafama athe gqolo ukuthwaxwa yimbalela ngethuba lokulinywa kombona.
Emva kokudibanisa iintloko iminyaka eliqela, abaphandi neengcali zabalimi baseMzantsi Afrika, eMozambique, Kenya, Uganda naseTanzania bayile uhlobo lwembewu yombona ekwaziyo ukulwa nombundane futhi ixhathise nangamaxesha embalela.
Olu hlobo lwembewu, ebizwa njengeTela, lubonwa njengesisombululo kwinkxalabo ethe gqolo ukuphatha mbengwana amafama alima umbona.
Kule minyaka mibalwa idlulileyo, amafama athwaxwe yimbalela nto leyo ebangele ukuba amanye wawo avune umbona onamanyiki okanye singabikho kwaphela isivuno.
Amagosa endibanisela ebizwa njengeWater Efficient Maize for Africa (WEMA) akholelwa ukuba olu hlobo lwembewu luza kulunga kwimimandla eliqela eMzantsi Afrika nanjengoko luvavanywe ngempumelelo kumasimi aseNqadu kuGatyana.
Ukuqinisekisa ngomgangatho wophando lwabo, abaphandi beprojekthi yeWEMA bayiyile yantlantlo-ntlanu le mbewu yohlobo lweTela ukulungiselela imihlaba eyahlukeneyo kwilizwe loMzantsi Afrika, Mozambique, Kenya, Uganda naseTanzania.
Umanejala weWEMA, uSylvester O Oilkeh, uthi iTela iza kwenza umfama angaquqi ebuyelela kwiivenkile zamachiza okukhusela umbona xa ukhulayo nanjengoko yenziwe yakwazi ukuzilwela kwizinambuzane ukusuka ekutyalweni ukuya ekumileni kwediza kuquka nokubelekwa kwesikhwebu.
UGqirha Mfundo Maqubela, ongumlawuli kwezophando kwisebe lophuhliso lwamaphandle nezolimo eMpuma Koloni, uthi bayalamkela olu phando watsho esithi luza kuxhamlisa amafama ngesivuno esihle.
UMaqubela uthi iTela ixubile – iza ngembewu yombona obomvu kwakunye nomhlophe noxa nje ubuninzi bayo ingumbona omhlophe nanjengoko imarike yolu hlobo lombona ixananaze kakhulu.
U-Oilkeh uthi bonelisekile yindlela eqhube ngayo le mbewu ngethuba ivavanywa kumasimi aseNqadu.
Uthi okuseleyo ngoku kukuba ifumaneke emarikeni ngezithuba zenyanga yeDwarha.
Lowo unomdla uyakufika athi ufuna imbewu yombona yohlobo lweTela okanye imbewu yakwaWEMA.
Kuvulwe isikolo esixabisa iR106-million KwaMaxhama