Bayer CropScience Limited presented its Food Chain
Partnership with Mother Dairy Fruits and Vegetables Private Ltd. at the Asia
Fruit Logistica 2012 held in Hong Kong from September 05-07. The partnership
commenced in 2011, with an aim to produce high-quality tomatoes and gherkins
that would meet the requirements of Mother Dairy.
In India, tomatoes
are mainly grown for the table purpose, whereas to make tomato paste, food
manufacturers need good quality processing grades. Bayer CropScience identified
tomato varieties suitable for processing and scientifically raised seedlings of
the shortlisted varieties. These were then provided to farmers for further
cultivation under supervision and technical know-how of Bayer CropScience and
Mother Dairy. The second project involved introduction of new technologies to
improve gherkin production under polyhouse, since the yield levels for gherkins
under open field conditions were very low.
Both projects were initiated
in Karnataka with around 900 tomato and gherkin farmers. Bayer CropScience
supported farmers with their professional "5P" process from seed to harvest,
with high quality seeds (Production process), to right crop protection products
required for pest and disease management in respective crops (Protection). This
was supplemented with an instruction manual and safety equipment, to ensure safe
use and handling of crop protection products and awareness of spraying
techniques (Program monitoring). A traceability tool (Passport) was developed
and implemented. This was followed by training on best grading practices to
ensure quality from the farm to the processing center (Post
harvest).
Bayer CropScience and Mother Dairy’s collaborative crop
development program resulted in high quality production of gherkins and tomatoes
as well as higher returns for partner farmers. Yield in tomatoes grew from 14
metric tons per acre to 18 metric tons. In Gherkins, yields grew from 4 metric
tons to 14 metric tons per acre.
Bayer CropScience and Mother
Dairy are convinced that Food Chain Partnership is an effective way of
supporting farmers by improving the productivity and the quality of produce in a
safe and sustainable manner. Encouraged by the success of the first pilot
projects, both companies now plan to expand Food Chain Partnership to cover more
fruits and vegetables like Banana, Mango and Cauliflower.
About
Bayer CropScience
Bayer is a global enterprise with core
competencies in the fields of health care, agriculture and high-tech materials.
Bayer CropScience, the subgroup of Bayer AG responsible for the agricultural
business, has annual sales of EUR 7.255 billion (2011) and is one of the world’s
leading innovative crop science companies in the areas of seeds, crop protection
and non-agricultural pest control. The company offers an outstanding range of
products including high value seeds, innovative crop protection solutions based
on chemical and biological modes of action as well as an extensive service
backup for modern, sustainable agriculture. In the area of non-agricultural
applications, Bayer CropScience has a broad portfolio of products and services
to control pests from home and garden to forestry applications. The company has
a global workforce of 21,000 and is represented in more than 120
countries.
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Wednesday, September 12, 2012
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