Agricultural environments, preferred crops and farming systems in Africa will be examined with a view to making connections and bringing technological advances to farmers ranging from small-scale to commercial growers, said company representatives.
“Direct treatment of seed has become the technology to improve plant growth, prevent pathogens and pests from causing damage, and achieve higher yields,” said Antonie Delport, CEO of Syngenta SA.
Seed is treated through the application of various ingredients prior to sowing and is an efficient and economical way of protecting field crops, according to a Syngenta statement. Treating seed is also more environmentally friendly than spraying crops in the field, as small amounts of the active ingredient are used.
Growers trying to bring inputs down as margins tighten and resources become scarcer increasingly turn to seed treatment to maximise crop production.
Dr Franz Brandl, head of the Global Seedcare Institute, said that the world’s population would grow to about eight billion people in the next 20 years, but the resources available to grow food would remain the same. “High quality seed and the treatments that protect them are the carriers of genetic potential for growth and yield,” said Brandl. “It is crucial to ensure a sustainable supply of agricultural commodities that will meet the increasing demand.”
