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Agro chems – Fertilizers, Korea

The agricultural/horticultural surfactants specialist Coseal will drive Azelis’ growth in the APAC region

Azelis, a leading innovative service provider in the specialty chemicals and food ingredients industry, announces it has agreed to acquire 100% of the shares in Coseal in South Korea.

Coseal is renowned for its specialist distribution, repackaging and blending of agricultural/horticultural surfactants. The acquisition of Coseal will further drive Azelis’ growth in these market segments across Asia Pacific.

Highlights & rationale

  • This new partnership diversifies and strengthens Azelis’ position in the attractive agricultural/horticultural segment in South Korea
  • Coseal has long-established customer relationships and strong technical expertise
  • The transaction is consistent with Azelis’ strategy of complementing organic growth with strategic acquisitions

South Korea is an attractive and growing market with 51m inhabitants and a high GDP per capita. This transaction is expected to close in the third quarter of 2021. The acquisition of Coseal illustrates the support provided by EQT since the initial acquisition of Azelis. 

Mr. Kang Sang Jin, CEO of Coseal, says, “our focus on commercial and innovation-driven services brings new and exciting opportunities. With Coseal’s expertise in the sector and Azelis’ existing global principal network and international agricultural/horticultural customer base.”   

The agricultural/horticultural surfactants specialist Coseal will drive

AgroPolicy, Dairy, Finance

The financial commitment of Rs 9800 Cr over the next five years starting 2021-22 will leverage a total investment of Rs 54,618 crore in the livestock sector

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs chaired by the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi has approved the implementation of a special livestock sector package consisting of several activities by revising and realigning various components of the Government of India’s schemes for the next five years starting from 2021-22 to further boost growth in the livestock sector and thereby making animal husbandry more remunerative to 10 crore farmers engaged in animal husbandry sector. The package envisages Central Government’s support amounting to Rs 9800 crore over five years for leveraging a total investment of Rs 54,618 crore for five years.

 

The financial commitment of Rs 9800 crore by the Government of India over the next five years starting 2021-22 for these schemes would leverage a total investment of Rs 54,618 crore in the livestock sector including share of investments by state governments, state cooperatives, financial institutions, external funding agencies and other stakeholders.

 

As per this, all the schemes of the department will be merged into three broad categories as development programmes. These are Rashtriya Gokul Mission, National Programme for Dairy Development (NPDD), National Livestock Mission (NLM) and Livestock Census and Integrated Sample Survey (LC & ISS) as sub-schemes, Disease Control programme renamed as Livestock Health and Disease Control (LH & DC) which includes the present Livestock Health and Disease Control (LH & DC) scheme and National Animal Disease Control Programme (NADCP) and Infrastructure Development Fund wherein, the Animal Husbandry Infrastructure Development fund (AHIDF) and the Dairy Infrastructure Development Fund (DIDF) are merged. The present scheme for support to dairy cooperatives and farmer producer organisations engaged in dairy activities is also included in this third category.

 

The Rashtriya Gokul Mission will help in the development and conservation of indigenous breeds and would also contribute to improving the economic condition of the rural poor. The NPDD scheme is targeted towards the installation of about 8900 bulk milk coolers, thus providing benefit to more than 8 lakh milk producers and 20 LLPD milk will be additionally procured. Under NPDD, financial assistance from Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) will be availed thus strengthening and creating fresh infrastructure in 4500 villages.

The financial commitment of Rs 9800 Cr

AgroPolicy, Agrotech, Pulses, Webinar

MoU signed between India, Myanmar to build a framework for cooperation aimed specifically in the pulses sector

India Pulses and Grains Association (IPGA), the nodal body for India’s pulses trade and industry along with the India Myanmar Chamber of Commerce (IMCC) co-hosted a webinar on tur, urad and moong scenario in India and Myanmar under the aegis of ‘The IPGA Knowledge Series.’

 

IPGA recently signed an MoU with IMCC to work towards establishing a framework for cooperation aimed at contributing to sustainable socio-economic development through increased competitiveness and trade, improved business environment, and be used as a basis for the formulation and implementation of technical cooperation projects, specifically in the pulses sector. The webinar was the first such initiative under the tenets of the MoU. 

 

Nidhi Khare, Additional Secretary – Dept of Consumer Affairs, Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Government of India was Chief Guest at the webinar and Sourabh Kumar, Ambassador of India to Myanmar was the Special Speaker. B Krishna Murthy, Managing Director – Four P International, Chennai presented the Indian overview on urad and Punit Bachhawat, CFO and Head of Operations, Prakash Agro Industries, Ahmedabad spoke on tur and moong. The Myanmar overview on tur was presented by Vatsal Lilani, MD, Overtop Commodities, Myanmar while Desh Ratna, Treasurer and Executive Committee Member IMCC spoke on urad and moong.

 

The panellists covered key aspects like the impact of change in India’s import policies, the impact of COVID, the impact of Myanmar’s political unrest as well as production, demand-supply gap, available stock for export, expected exports to India, expected import quantities, etc. during the webinar. 

 

Khare said, “When we saw that the availability of pulses is a challenge and that several other including African countries are ready to supply these pulses, we made a very bold decision of entering into a stable relationship of over five years so that the farmers in those countries also are assured to an extent that they will have a stable market in India, and it will also provide pulses at a moderate price too. The government also made it easy for the importers to bring in the agri-commodities without any restrictions when the prices rose during the pandemic.”

 

Khare while speaking about the pulses prices and steps taken by the government to ensure availability of pulses for consumers at reasonable prices, said, “The department has an important role to play when it comes to making the pulses available to the consumers at a reasonable and fair price. We have been also monitoring the price behaviour from time to time over the past several years and it is in moderation. Now, we have a very institutionalised mechanism to watch for the prices of consumers and also understand the behaviour of these prices. The rising trend in the prices has made us aware of the gap in the demand and supply of various pulses. The department has strengthened the daily price monitoring system, which has given us very accurate feedback on the retail price. When the prices of pulses continued to rise even after harvest, the government took several steps including the declaration of stocks.”

 

Saurabh Kumar applauding IPGA and IMCC’s efforts said, “Pulses are very important as far as the India – Myanmar relations are concerned. All the stakeholders have pointed out the criticality of pulses in our bilateral trade. Myanmar farmers are dependent upon exports of pulses and whenever there is a shortfall in India’s domestic production, India imports from Myanmar. I am given to understand that if India does not import, the production patterns in Myanmar shift or get diverted to other crops. We are looking at seeing what more can be done to have a stronger relationship as far as pulses are concerned and providing a certain amount of predictability.”

MoU signed between India, Myanmar to build

Agrotech, Seeds

According to the researchers, the process is simple and inexpensive, and could be widely deployed in arid regions

Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have come up with a process for protecting seeds from the stress of water shortage during their crucial germination phase, and even providing the plants with extra nutrition at the same time.

 

The process, undergoing continued tests in collaboration with researchers in Morocco, is simple and inexpensive, and could be widely deployed in arid regions, the researchers say. The findings are reported this week in the journal Nature Food, in a paper by MIT professor of civil and environmental engineering Benedetto Marelli, MIT doctoral student Augustine Zvinavashe ’16, and eight others at MIT and at the King Mohammed VI Polytechnic University in Morocco.

 

The two-layer coating the team developed is a direct outgrowth of years of research by Marelli and his collaborators in developing seed coatings to confer various benefits.

 

The new coating, taking inspiration from natural coatings that occur on some seeds such as chia and basil, is engineered to protect the seeds from drying out. It provides a gel-like coating that tenaciously holds onto any moisture that comes along, and envelops the seed with it.

 

A second, inner layer of the coating contains preserved microorganisms called rhizobacteria, and some nutrients to help them grow. When exposed to soil and water, the microbes will fix nitrogen into the soil, providing the growing seedling with nutritious fertiliser to help it along.

Early tests using soil from Moroccan test farms have shown encouraging results, the researchers say, and now field tests of the seeds are underway.

 

The materials needed for the coatings are readily available and often used in the food industry already, Marelli says. The materials are also fully biodegradable, and some of the compounds themselves can actually be derived from food waste, enabling the eventual possibility of closed-loop systems that continuously recycle their own waste.

 

Although initial tests using common beans have shown promising results by a variety of measures, including root mass, stem height, chlorophyll content, and other metrics, the team has not yet cultivated a full crop from seeds with the new coating all the way through to harvest, which will be the ultimate test of its value.

 

According to the researchers, the process is

Agrotech, Nature

A good monsoon raises hope for better farm productivity, its cascading positive impact on rural growth and the overall economy

Rainfed farms in India occupy about 51 per cent of the country’s net sown area, therefore, monsoon rains are of utmost importance and benefit. Rainfall has a direct impact on agriculture since water is an essential input for farm production. And thus, countries with low irrigation coverage become more vulnerable to monsoon failures. Availability of water at a particular time can lower or increase the quantity and quality of food crops. In India, monsoon through the demand and supply interlinkages of the farm sector with other sectors of the economy influences the standard of living and overall demand in the economy. 

 

This year, monsoon showers across the country are predicted to be ‘normal’, which raises hope for better farm productivity and its cascading positive impact on rural growth and the overall economy. Southwest monsoon accounts for about 70 per cent of the total rainfall the country receives annually and has a significant impact on farm and industrial output, employment generation, and even food inflation. Thus, the forecast of a ‘normal’ monsoon this year has brought relief to farmers, industries, and governments alike. 

 

There is confidence among policymakers and industry doyens about ‘normal monsoon’ will lead to higher crop output, which in turn means higher farm income and thus boosting rural households’ capacity to purchase consumer goods, vehicles, agricultural equipment. Last year, the monsoon had ended at ‘above normal’. But this year, the performance of monsoon matters more since the second wave of Covid-19 has made inroads in the rural hinterlands this year, which was not the case last year as rural India had remained mostly unaffected by the pandemic. Luckily, the second wave of the COVID-19 has started to recede as crucial sowing work begins across the country.

 

According to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), the monsoon this year is going to sustain rural demand and overall output while alleviating food inflation. Food production will occur as expected owing to the normal monsoon. Besides, the filled reservoirs will translate into required confidence that adequate water will be available for irrigation purposes, especially during the Rabi season. All this will bring up positive sentiments in the market and bring down prices as the supply meets demand smoothly. 

 

The monsoon has a direct impact on food prices. This year, experts believe that crop output will be assured and sustained. It will certainly keep a tab on the rising prices. There are predictions that a probable normal monsoon will lead the farm sector to register a growth of at least 3 per cent this year, which will reduce potential risk on the inflation front. Moreover, bumper harvest and more money in the hands of rural households will drive consumption. This also affects non-food inflation.

Monsoon impacts employment livelihoods and employment generations. While agriculture’s contribution to India’s GDP has been just 20 per cent, it is the primary source of livelihood which is about 58 per cent of India’s population. Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) report showed how employment opportunities in rural India have grown up following improved monsoon rains in 2019. 

 

Agriculture was a sole bright spot in 2020 when the Indian economy was facing headwinds of coronavirus. The RBI said it has a salutary effect on consumption growth as sales of vehicles, fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG), as well as fertiliser production, had increased. On other hand, major drivers of the economy were badly hit after a few months into the pandemic and a good monsoon had come as a saviour. Amid pandemic blues, agriculture-led growth certainly holds the potential to bring the overall economy back on track.

 

Dr Shivendra Bajaj, Executive Director, Federation of Seed Industry of India and Alliance for
Agri Innovation

 

 

A good monsoon raises hope for better

Agrotech, Dairy

The fully automated Greenfield dairy plant is set up at a cost of Rs 101 Cr. 

Chennai-based Hatsun Agro Product Ltd (HAP) has started processing and packing of milk at its fully automated Greenfield dairy processing plant in Kangayam Taluk, Tiruppur District, Tamil Nadu (TN). 

The fully automated dairy plant, one of the technologically superior plants in the country is set up at a cost of Rs 101 crores. The plant has specialized imported equipments from Germany to process and pack 3.5 lakh litres milk per day (LLPD). In tune with HAP’s core objectives, the emphasis of the plant’s design is on employee safety, hygiene and making products of finest quality. 

HAP has manufacturing locations spread across five states of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka and Maharashtra.

With the commencement of production at the facility, HAP further intends to expand its retail network. In addition, HAP will provide greater support to farmers with access to the best technology, farm inputs, animal husbandry services, specialised cattle feed and direct credit to their bank accounts for their milk supply.

 

 

The fully automated Greenfield dairy plant is

Agrotech, Environment

Unveils new brand identity

Atticus has announced the rebranding of its professional non-crop market business to EcoCore; ’Chemistry at the Core of Environmental Wellness.’

Atticus recruited industry veteran Michael Maravich to serve as Vice President, EcoCore markets. Maravich brings extensive knowledge, proven leadership and an established industry network to the EcoCore team. In addition, Maravich has served on the boards of directors of Project Evergreen and Responsible Industry for a Sound Environment (RISE), of which Atticus is now a member. From identifying needs and bringing new products to market, Maravich’s experience in agriculture and non-crop businesses allows him to provide a comprehensive view of pest management.

On a refreshed Atticus website homepage, visitors will see a balanced split between agriculture and EcoCore business segments. The search function within each sector enables users to quickly identify the product, active ingredient and make product comparisons that will help them find the right fit for their specific needs.

Unveils new brand identityAtticus has announced the

Agrotech, Foodgrains, Supply Chain

Calls for transforming food systems to better enable food security, improved nutrition and affordable healthy diets for all

With the release of the United Nations (UN) 2021 State of Food Security & Nutrition in the World (SOFI) report, CropLife Asia highlighted the need for the region’s food value chain stakeholders to work together in transforming food systems to better enable food security, improved nutrition and affordable healthy diets for all.

The challenge of achieving the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2 of ’zero hunger’ globally by 2030 has grown even more complicated with the broad impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. In this latest UN report, it is estimated that the number of people affected by hunger worldwide in 2020 was between 720 and 811 million people. This is a marked increase of over 100 million more people than in 2019.

The prevalence of undernourishment (PoU) has also climbed up to around 9.9 per cent in 2020 compared to 8.4 per cent the previous year. This new report also confirms a sadly familiar refrain for Asia: our region is failing to deliver food security for far too many – particularly among the more vulnerable parts of society. Asia continues to be home to the greatest number of undernourished people with 418 million suffering from hunger in 2020.

“The challenge of feeding Asia and the world requires us to explore all possible solutions. This can only be achieved through greater collaboration with others, as multi-stakeholder approaches are crucial for the transformation of our food systems,” said Dr Siang Hee Tan, Executive Director, CropLife Asia. “The plant science industry champions innovation in both crop protection and plant biotech, as well as precision and digital agriculture solutions to benefit both people and the planet.”

“The innovative technologies of the plant science industry have a key role to play, but it is only one part of the solution,” Dr Tan added. “Ensuring that an ample supply of affordable and nutritious food reaches those who need it most is a shared responsibility. Farmers’ access to innovation is an increasingly crucial component to combatting food insecurity in Asia and around the world.”

Global crop losses due to pests and disease are a major contributor to global food loss and waste. These losses would be twice as high without the use of crop protection products. Crop losses can be further reduced through more effective crop protection stewardship practices. Without innovations such as crop protection products and plant biotechnology, global pre-harvest crop losses could double. Meanwhile, biotech crops are developed with improved traits such as increased yield, better resistance to pests and/or improved nutrition, among others. These traits are crucial tools that enable farmers to produce more food using fewer resources to feed our growing world.


 

 

Calls for transforming food systems to better

Agrotech, Australia

Provectus secures AU$59 million grants from the federal government over 10 years to advance the development of agrochemicals and supplements derived from marine life

Provectus Algae (Provectus), an Australian biotechnology company specializing in the optimization of algae to produce high-value compounds for use in a wide array of industries and applications, has won a Marine Bioproducts Cooperative Research Center (MB-CRC) grant. The funding will advance research and development, and commercialization program in support of Australia’s efforts to transform the countries marine bioproducts sector into a globally competitive industry.

The MB-CRC is a major development initiative between global leaders in research and industry and intended to generate valuable and sustainably produced marine-sourced bio-products, with matching co-investment from the Australian government. The MB-CRC has been designed to provide the innovation foundation and organizational support for the marine bioproducts industry sector across the supply and value chain. It is also foreseen to drive major export earners for Australia over the next decade.

Provectus will share in AU$59 million of cash contributions from the federal government over 10 years. The company, one of the lead partners in this collaboration, will also provide an AU$1M cash contribution and in-kind services to the MB-CRC’s consortium of 68 industry, government, and research partners to support development of new products and industries such as nutraceuticals, cosmetics, agro-chemicals and supplements derived from marine life such as seaweed and algae.

“This grant award will allow us to add non-dilutive capital to our continuous R&D efforts which will support the expansion of our company’s synthetic biology stack and allow us to deliver high-performance, sustainable products and sought-after specialty ingredients globally, while positively impacting Australia’s shared vision of accelerating the growth of the emerging export-focused marine bioproducts industry,” said Provectus CEO and Founder Nusqe Spanton.

Provectus programs algae using Precision Photosynthesis® and gene engineering to produce valuable molecules. This approach naturally synthesizes molecules using light to control biology. The Provectus platform and its proprietary hardware, software and machine learning come together to accelerate nature and enable sustainable production. The effort also addresses supply chain challenges by providing end-to-end services from product development to large-scale production in microalgae. Since closing its seed round last year, Provectus has been developing products and engineering its proprietary production systems.

The company’s product pipeline includes two recombinant proteins developed by the Provectus team along with a suite of natural products in development focussing on animal health, and agricultural chemicals along with F&B.

Provectus secures AU$59 million grants from the

Agrotech, Finance, Warehousing

The app, to be launched in the latter part of 2021, will help towards the development of quality application for food grains and pulses

New Delhi-headquartered agri technology and warehousing solutions conglomerate Sohan Lal Commodity Management (SLCM) has received a technical assistance grant of EUR 125,901 (Rs 1.11 crore) from the Technical Assistance Facility of Incofin agRIF fund (agTAF) and the Smallholder Safety Net Upscaling Programme (SSNUP) for AI/ML-based quality app. The app will help towards the development of the quality application for food grains and pulses.

 

The app will enable the trader or farmer to scan crop seeds for quality assessment. It will be able to check multiple quality parameters for a variety of food grains and pulses within minutes with up to 90 per cent accuracy as compared to a lab test. The results will be automatically compared with pre-fed data in the back-end system, which will regularly update itself using machine learning (ML) with Python programming language, on a real-time basis.

 

Getting a quality control check done through this app will be as easy as taking an image. Just by clicking the photograph of the agri commodity and submitting it through the app will get it analysed for image classification on crop type and its quality parameters. In return, the user will get a quality report with the photographic evidence evaluated on specifics like height, length, grid, colour and pattern of the commodity within seconds.

 

Once SLCM mobile quality app gets rolled out in late 2021, its on-ground utilisation will tremendously help to improve the fidelity of the commodity quality checks and disseminate the instantly obtained quality control results in a secure and transparent environment to drastically reduce the turnaround time in comparison to the task being performed manually. 

 

Sandeep Sabharwal, CEO, SLCM, said, “We will be initiating the deployment of this AI and ML-enabled app towards our stated goal of achieving the vision of an electronically connected agricultural value chain. This grant of EUR 125,901 is an endorsement of our sustained efforts to digitalise processes for the ease of our stakeholders and customers, and our commitment to modernising India’s post-harvest agricultural value chain with cutting-edge technologies.”

The app, to be launched in the

Agrotech, Finance, Start ups

UrbanKisaan specialises in hydroponic cultivation of various types of vegetables, greens and herbs in tropical urban environments

BASF Venture Capital (BVC) is investing in the Indian startup UrbanKisaan, which specialises in hydroponic cultivation of various types of vegetables, greens and herbs in tropical urban environments. This is BVC’s first investment in an early stage business focusing on India. Conceptualised in 2017, UrbanKisaan operates several suburban greenhouses and vertical indoor farms in Hyderabad and Bengaluru. The company sells fresh produce, some of which is grown directly in the shops, in its franchisee-owned brick-and-mortar stores and via an app and website. Both parties agreed not to disclose the financial details of the investment.

UrbanKisaan has optimised hydroponics technology for use in tropical climates such as India. With only one-tenth of the costs, the proprietary technology is significantly more efficient than conventional global standards in hydroponics cultivation. The company is also capitalising on the trend of online food retailing, which is booming on the subcontinent. 

 

“Our approach in hydroponics enables us to produce our food cost-effectively and with relatively little effort,” said Vihari Kanukollu, co-founder and CEO, UrbanKisaan. “Our produce also contributes towards sustainability as it is grown in clean, hygienic farms in and around the city, thus minimizing the total carbon footprint. Use of IoT (Internet-of-Things)-enabled technology for monitoring the farms ensures pesticide-free produce. The growing demand from our customers shows that our idea is well-received,” he added.

 

UrbanKisaan’s farms are managed through their proprietary technology. Nutrient content, pH levels, atmospheric humidity, CO2 concentration, light concentration and other important parameters are controlled and adapted to the needs of the particular plants with an app.

 

“UrbanKisaan has developed a unique growing method and combines this with a compelling business model for sales,” commented Markus Solibieda, MD, BASF Venture Capital.

 

He added, “AgTech is one of our key investment focus areas worldwide. This includes, in particular, our goal of supporting innovative agricultural and food-related businesses in Asia. We look forward to learning more about hydroponic farming and exploring its potential through a close collaboration between UrbanKisaan and BASF’s agriculture experts.”

With the investment from BASF, UrbanKisaan plans to further expand its market presence in India, deploy its farming technology to work with thousands of farmers, and bring fresh, local, sustainable produce to urban dwellers.

 

UrbanKisaan specialises in hydroponic cultivation of various

Agro chems – Fertilizers, AgroPolicy

Union Fertliser Minister announces new fertiliser plants coming up in Durgapur, West Bengal having a capacity to produce 12.7 lakh metric tonnes of fertilisers

Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilisers Mansukh Mandaviya reviewed the initiatives of the Department of Fertilizers for Making India Aatmanirbhar in fertilisers. Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilizers Bhagwanth Khuba was also present. Secretary, Department of Fertilizers RK Chaturvedi and senior officials of the ministry attended the meeting.

Mandaviya said that with the commencement of the Ramagundam plant, added 12.7 LMTPA indigenous urea production in the country has been added which will help India ‘Aatmanirbhar’ (self-reliant) in urea production. The project shall not only improve the availability of fertiliser to farmers but also give a boost to the economy in the region including the development of infrastructure like roads, railways, ancillary industry etc. besides ensuring food security to the nation.

The minister also informed that the government is planning to liberalise Market Development Assistance (MDA) Policy to promote the use of alternative fertilisers. MDA policy was earlier limited to city compost only. There were demands to expand this policy by incorporating organic waste like biogas, green manure, organic compost of rural areas, solid/liquid slurry, etc. The expansion will fully complement the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan of the Government of India.

The Minister was apprised that the Matix Fertilisers plant in Durgapur, West Bengal having a capacity of 12.7 lakh metric tonnes will commence soon.

 

Union Fertliser Minister announces new fertiliser plants

Agro chems – Chemicals, Seeds

The herbicide will help farmers protect crops from unwanted weeds

Dhanuka Agritech has launched a novel herbicide for Indian farmers, TORNADO a comprehensive solution for weeds in oilseeds crops. The pan India launch of TORNADO will help farmers protect crops from unwanted weeds.
 
TORNADO is a broad-spectrum herbicide for post-emergence control of Broadleaf & Narrow-leaf weeds. It has a dual-mode of action and has excellent translocation activity.

Dhanuka Agritech is one of India’s leading agrochemical companies and is listed by Forbes Magazine in the category of ’200 Best under A Billion Companies in the Asia Pacific.’ The company has three manufacturing facilities in Rajasthan, Gujarat and Jammu and Kashmir with quality testing facilities.

The herbicide will help farmers protect crops

Agrotech, Nature

The licensing agreement gives origin exclusive global rights to the GMO trait for the full term of the patent

Origin Agritech, an agriculture technology company, has entered into an exclusive rights agreement with the Biology Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences for its drought-resistant GMO trait.

The licensing agreement gives origin exclusive global rights to the GMO trait for the full term of the patent. The drought-tolerant corn has been approved for production trials by China’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (the fourth stage in the five-stage process to receive its bio-safety certificate). Furthermore, Origin has already successfully converted its elite corn hybrids into drought-resistant traits.

The trait has expressed excellent performance under water stress conditions through the whole growing period. Multi-year experiments have shown the yield of drought tolerance corn is 9.2-16.2 per cent higher than non-GMO corn under water stress conditions. Under irrigated conditions, the GMO enhanced corn increases water use efficiency by 33-47 per cent.

Dr Gengchen Han, Origin Agritech’s Chairman, said, “We are excited to expand our GMO trait portfolio. We believe that drought resistance will be a major area of focus as the effects of climate change come to the forefront of the world’s attention.”

The licensing agreement gives origin exclusive global