- Bayer has partnered with Solynta to introduce true potato seeds globally, aiming to replace traditional tuber farming.
- The collaboration focuses on Kenya and India, where there is a critical need for disease-resistant and climate-adaptable potato varieties.
Bayer, a German agrochemical company, has teamed up with Netherlands-based Solynta to commercialize and distribute true potato seeds. The prime focus of this agriculture-focused collaboration is to enable farmers to grow potatoes from true seeds instead of the usual tubers, which often have issues with disease, cost, and storage.
This partnership is a milestone for Bayer as it marks its entry into the global potato market, which spans 20 million hectares.
“Adding true potato seeds to our portfolio is a natural progression of our team’s work to support smallholder growers and offer the latest innovations,” said Inci Dannenberg, Bayer’s president of global vegetable seeds.
Furthermore, Solynta CEO Peter Poortinga explained that the true potato seeds result from nearly twenty years of research into hybrid potato breeding technology. He also mentioned that hybrid breeding is an established technology in many food crops, enabling the quick development of new varieties with beneficial qualities like disease resistance.
This agri-tech collaboration addresses the shortage of high-quality potato seeds in Kenya and India. In Kenya, potatoes are the second most important staple food, but there's a lack of disease-free seed potatoes. In India, which is the second biggest potato market globally, there is a need for potato varieties that can thrive in various climate conditions.
Edited by Harshajit Sarmah
