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 Green line - may/june 2007
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Visit
Norbert Leist and Rainer Knoblauch from the Agricultural Center of Technology - Augustemberg - Karlsruhe - Germany, visit the Federal University of Pelotas - Brazil officials, in order to cultivate the relationship between the organizations. Students from the university have the opportunity to do some studies at the German institution. Good relationships are essential for long lasting common accomplishments.
Minister of Agriculture
The Brazilian seed sector must be congratulated considering the talks with the new Minister of Agriculture, Mr. Reinhold Stephanes. He signaled to ABRASEM's President, Dr. Ywao Miyamoto, that seeds will have special attention in his Ministry. Subjects such as piracy, cultivars protection, and technological innovation are some of them to be worked on.
Peru
Peru government is investing in capacitating in order to better assist its seed program. In this way, Drs. Francisco Amaral Villela and Antonio Carlos S. Albuquerque Barros from ABRATES have just provided a course about update in seeds production and technology. More than 80 professionals have participated in the event.
ISF's Secretary
The new executive Secretary of the International Seed Federation, Dr. Marcel Bruins, has been elected, and will assume his functions from next September on. Dr. Marcel's curriculum includes education in plant breeding and works in the area of cultivars protection in several entities. Since 1999, he represents ISF at UPOV, in the work group on vegetables.
Essentially Derived Variety
Syngenta Seeds has in Brazil a precocious soybean cultivar so called Spring, which is not protected. However, even so, it has a good market share. Now, with Spring RR which has varietal protection, the company expects getting a bigger market share since the variety has added value due to the technological innovation.
Market share
The seed company Pioneer completes 35 years acting in Brazil with maize seeds, with a market share of 20% in a market of more than half billion dollars a year. It has been established in the market with high quality seeds and hybrids for high technology. According to its director, Daniel Glatt, such strategy worked out so fine that is being adopted, also for soybean seeds, which they are also, working in Brazil.
Flower seeds
Syngenta acquired Fischer a leading European flower company. Fischer is a privately held vegetative flowers company specializing in the breeding and marketing of flower crops, it is highly complementary to Syngenta Flowers, bringing leadership in three of the ten best-selling flower crops to its existing portfolio. It is the global leader in Geranium and has leading positions in Poinsettia and New Guinea impatiens. Fischer employs around 1700 people.
Technological Fee
BASF has succeeded in making viable the charging of a technological fee on rice Clearfield produced in Brazil. It was a long discussion, passing also under judiciary system, however as it is a patented technology, the protection is up to the industrial product and every country not interested in being isolated, accepts the patents rule. Technological Fee should be recognized and be given prestige so that everyone gets benefited from the advances.
GM Maize
For judiciary demand, CTNBio (Brazil) has made a public audience about GM maize, specifically herbicide-resistant maize and bug-resistant maize. There have been 18 presentations along with the ones from the obtainers of GM maize. It was a great experience, where science and technology organizations have shown the benefits of such technological innovation affecting neither the environment nor human health, while the oppositionists have manifested favorable to a moratorium. Conducting a meeting under such a contradictory scenario is very hard and SEED News realizes, through Dr. Walter Colli, the balance and wisdom to keep right discussions about such a matter.
Hybrid rice
India is the largest producer of hybrid rice in percentage wise, and 33 companies fight for a market of more than one million hectares. In Brazil, the area planted with hybrid rice is increasing and, after some years when there was only one company acting, in 2007 the country already has two companies - which is good, since the farmers can make use of it and the companies can invest in order to offer their best.
Castor bean
Biogas is the hit of the moment. For alcohol, two species are highlighted: sugar cane in Brazil, and maize in United States. On the other hand, for diesel, situation is not as clear; it seems that soybeans is the hit of the moment despite showing some disadvantages, among them, the fact that those seeds have less than 20%. Castor bean seems to show a good potential in the near future since its yield can be increased, what involves some years of breeding.
Germoplasm
There is a saying that who plans and goes after it, sooner or latter he gets his objectives. The international community has planned to have an international seed bank to keep safely small samples of seed for a long period of time. It is estimated that there are more than two millions samples to be stored in this condition. The problem is to find the right amount of money to do it. Fortunately the problem has been solved with a grant from Bill and Melina Gates Foundation and the Norway government. Congratulations to those that worked so hard to get it.
Uruguay Soybeans
The National Association of Seed Producers of Uruguay (Anaprose), with the eminent harvest of soybeans for seed purposes, has sent their affiliates technicians for an update in post-harvest technology at the Federal University of Pelotas, under the coordination of Professor Leopoldo Baudet. Anaprose has a long term relationship with UFPel.
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