It aims to transfer NRGene’s India-based 8-year-old crop breeding program of maize, rice and chili-pepper to Foragen Seeds.
Israel based Genomics AI Company,NRGene has signed an agreement to transfer its India-based 8-year-old crop breeding program of maize, rice and chili-pepper to Foragen Seeds.
NRGene is focused on developing software genomics solutions for the ag-tech industry. Therefore, it selected Foragen Seeds as its Indian partner to advance the field breeding program of elite seed development and product commercialization.
Since 2012, NRGene has carried out broad molecular breeding projects for the Indian market. NRGene has applied genomics artificial intelligence to map complex traits, segregating in the actual breeding population, and developing DNA markers for those traits. The germplasms and breeding materials will significantly help in developing a robust commercial product pipeline suited to the various climate zones in India and other tropical and sub-tropical countries.
“We look forward to see our elite germplasm commercialized and cultivated across India, providing Indian farmers with extra yield and quality” said Dr Gil Ronen, NRGene’s CEO.
This agreement will enable Foragen Seeds Pvt. Ltd., the market leaders in forage crops in the country, to amplify its domain expertise, strengthen its standing in the forage business and rapidly expand its footprint. Leveraging these strengths, Foragen intends to foray into the Rs 2000 crores (USD 274M) plus potential field crops business. This new move brings in extensive R&D capabilities including broad molecular breeding, mapping of complex traits, segregation of the actual breeding population and developing DNA markers for those traits. The germplasms and breeding materials will significantly help in developing a robust commercial product pipeline suited to various climate zones in India and other tropical and sub-tropical countries.
Foragen Seeds is a leading genetics-based forage seed start-up and is currently focused on offering dairy farms value-added products. Majority of its forage products are indigenously developed at its R&D stations in Hyderabad and Bellary.
“Foragen Seeds is aiming to be a top notch forage seed company in the next three to five years, this agreement augments our position in the field crops business. After evaluation of the NRGene’s germplasm and the creation of hybrids in the coming seasons, Foragen Seeds will be set to launch new commercial products for the Indian market”, said Prabhakar Babu. Gunturu, CEO & Co-Founder, Foragen Seeds Pvt. Ltd.
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