Bayer CropScience opened new SeedGrowth Center in Can Tho, Vietnam

Monheim, 21-6-2014 — /EuropaWire/ — Bayer CropScience recently opened its new SeedGrowth Center in Can Tho, Vietnam. This state-of-the-art facility aims to provide customers with integrated seed treatment solutions harnessing advanced technologies to help farmers protect their high-quality seeds and increase yields in a sustainable manner. This is the first Bayer SeedGrowth™ Center that is mainly focused on improving rice seed treatment technology. Services range from training on the correct application of seed treatment products and advice on machinery to in-depth information about treatment processes.

“Rice is a key crop in Vietnam, and with more than 70 percent of the country’s labor force in farming, it is imperative that we look at increasing agricultural productivity, yields and quality to help farmers improve their income and thereby enhance the competitiveness and growth of the economy,” said Torsten Velden, Bayer CropScience Country Head Vietnam. The majority of Vietnamese farmers are smallholders and do not necessarily have access to the innovative tools and technologies they need to solve the issues they face in farming. “With the opening of our new Bayer SeedGrowth™ Center, we will bring our customized offerings to help them grow healthier and stronger plants that produce higher yields and, at the same time, work with the Cuu Long Rice Research Institute (CLRRI) to transfer modern technologies to market through training and demonstration trials,” Velden added.

“Bayer SeedGrowth™ Centers are an essential part of our expertise in bringing local support to our customers. In every center, a skilful team helps growers and seed companies make the best use of seed-applied products and equipment for ultimate protection of their seeds and seedlings,” said Marc Andrieux, Global Head of SeedGrowth Technology and Services at Bayer CropScience.

Bayer CropScience’s contribution to sustainable rice production in Vietnam

Rice plays an important part in global food security, and is the staple food for half the world’s population. Improving rice production in Vietnam through innovative solutions demonstrates Bayer CropScience’s strong commitment to this important crop. As with their counterparts in many other countries, Vietnamese farmers face a host of issues that prevent them from maximizing their full yield potential. Besides threats from pests and diseases, they also face issues from labor shortages and need support to mitigate the global climate change challenge.

Through an integrated and comprehensive system for on-seed applications that harnesses Bayer CropScience’s competencies in products, coatings, services and equipment, its experts help rice growers minimize the negative impact of pests and diseases, and at the same time, increase agricultural productivity and income by reducing crop losses and farm input costs. The convenience and efficiency of Bayer SeedGrowth™ solutions also serve to encourage young people to return to rural areas to take up rice farming. At the same time, the introduction of new agricultural technologies facilitates more environmentally friendly crop production systems.

While the benefits of treated seeds are obvious, market awareness and acceptance of seed treatment remain low in Vietnam, where it is limited to about 2 percent of the total planted rice area. In collaboration with the CLRRI, Bayer CropScience aims to enhance the awareness and knowledge of seed applied technologies together with customers, partners and other key stakeholders in the industry.

With the recent inauguration, Vietnam has become the 11th Bayer SeedGrowth™ Center worldwide to support the business – farmers, seed breeders, treaters, retailers and advisers – and their individual needs. The centers are located in Research Triangle Park, N.C., USA; Guadalajara, Mexico; Buenos Aires, Argentina; Paulina, Brazil; Wickham Market, UK; Méréville, France; Monheim, Germany; Hu Jia Lou, China; Pinkeba Old, Australia; and Wigram, Christchurch, New Zealand.

More information about Bayer SeedGrowth™, the fully integrated and comprehensive system for on-seed applications, and its four competence areas – products, coatings, equipment, and services – can be found at www.seedgrowth.bayer.com.

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 8,819 million (2013) 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 22,400 and is represented in more than 120 countries. This and further news is available at www.press.bayercropscience.com.

Find more information at www.bayercropscience.com.

Forward-Looking Statements 
This release may contain forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by Bayer Group or subgroup management. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material differences between the actual future results, financial situation, development or performance of the company and the estimates given here. These factors include those discussed in Bayer’s public reports which are available on the Bayer website at www.bayer.com. The company assumes no liability whatsoever to update these forward-looking statements or to conform them to future events or developments.

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In Vietnam, rice is mostly grown by smallholder farmers. With the opening of its new Bayer SeedGrowth™ Center, Bayer CropScience hope to increase knowledge of modern seed treatment technologies.