EastWest Seed tops global seed index

The Philippine Star

1 day ago

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 Provided by The Philippine Star

EastWest Seed ranked first in a global survey that measures and compares the
performance of leading seed companies in serving smallholder farmers.
The report said EastWest Seeds commitment to small holderfarmers is evident in all
aspects of its business, including packaging, distribution, customer service, research
and development, knowledge transfer and innovation.

According to the report, EastWest Seed prioritizes the needs of smallholder farmers in
the development of both local and global crops.
The index was published by the Access to Seeds Index Foundation, an independent
organization funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Dutch
government.
It aims to improve farmers access to a wider array of modern, more productive seed
varieties by bridging the gap between seed companies and the smallholder farmer.
Bill Gates, speaking at a recent forum on innovation, emphasized the importance of
agriculture in achieving global prosperity: Over 70 percent of the poor people in the
world are farmers. They have small plots of land, very little information, seeds that are
very old, not much credit, and theyre just getting by. The changes in the weather in the
future will make things even tougher for them. Every country that has gone to
prosperity
has raised their agricultural productivity pretty dramatically.

It is estimated that by 2050 the world needs 70 percent more food to feed a
population of nine billion, in an environment where less water and land is available.
The only way to achieve this is by increasing farm productivity, more yield from less
land and resources, and a more environmentally sustainable way of producing food.
EastWest Seed CEO Bert van der Feltz said: We are grateful to the Access to Seeds
Foundation for putting smallholder farmers in the center. The index is an important
barometer of the seed industrys impact on smallholder farmers.
They have been the driver of our business since EastWest Seed was founded in 1982.
It is important to assist them because they are the key to improving worldwide access
to nutritious food, and they contribute to economic growth.
When we do this, we achieve several goals at the same time: the farmers income
increases, consumers have access to high quality vegetables, and we build an attractive
and profitable seed business.
The companys goal is to improve the income and livelihoods of smallholder farmers
by making available small seed packages about $1 per pouch.

East
West Seed is currently the leader for tropical vegetable seeds in Asia, with leading
market positions in Thailand, Philippines, Indonesia, Myanmar, and Sri Lanka. It has also
expanded its business activities in India, Vietnam, China, Latin America, and Africa.

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