Australia
March 3, 2003
AWB, the Commonwealth Scientific
and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), the Grains
Research & Development Corporation (GRDC) and Syngenta today
announced that they have signed an agreement to reshape and
enhance Graingene, the Australian national crop genetics
research consortium. Under this agreement, Syngenta joins the
three original consortium members; bringing global presence, and
marketing and technology expertise.
With the support of Syngenta’s technology, Graingene will pursue
five major research programmes of interest to Australian
agriculture. These will aim to improve the yield and value of
the wheat crop through stress resistance, pest and disease
resistance, grain quality, wheat genomics technologies, and
trait development. Established in 1999, Graingene has already
developed a strong strategic position in new technologies,
particularly in value added traits in wheat. Graingene has
proven its ability to deliver top quality research with the
recent commercial release of the drought tolerant wheat variety
‘Drysdale’.
LongReach Plant Breeders, the Australian national wheat breeding
joint venture formed by AWB Ltd and Syngenta in 2002, will have
the first option to develop and commercialise resulting traits
and technology for Australian cereals. Syngenta will have the
first option to develop and commercialise in other crops and
countries, generating value to Graingene for its intellectual
property.
"With Syngenta’s collaboration, Graingene will be even better
placed to undertake leading wheat genetic research to deliver
practical and commercial products for wheat growers,
manufacturers and consumers even faster," said John Lovett,
Chairman of the Board of Graingene and Managing Director of the
GRDC.
Peter Gerner, Managing Director of Syngenta Seeds in Oceania,
said it is a privilege to join three of Australia’s leading
agricultural organisations in this strategic alliance. "Joining
Graingene will allow Syngenta to contribute technology and tools
from its global research investment to develop innovative
products of value to Australian wheat growers and to the
downstream grain processing industry," said Mr Gerner.
Marcus Kennedy, AWB Group General Manager Grain Technology said
that bringing Syngenta into Graingene as a partner will help
Graingene to develop and commercialise novel products for
Australian wheat growers faster and more effectively, meeting
the needs of our customers in global markets. "AWB’s experience
in the domestic and global grain marketing and in end-user
needs, provides Graingene with crucial expertise in the cereals
industry spanning the complete chain from breeding to bakery,"
said Mr Kennedy.
"We are looking forward to working with Syngenta’s researchers,"
said Jim Peacock, Chief of CSIRO Plant Industry. “CSIRO and
Syngenta are both strongly committed to research in cereals.
Access to Syngenta’s genomic tools and intellectual property
will complement Graingene’s ability to deliver value added
products in Australian cereals," said Dr Peacock.
AWB Limited (formerly the Australian Wheat Board) is an
Australian publicly listed grain marketing company with
interests in grain pools, grain trading, seed commercialisation,
storage and handling, grain transport, finance, risk management,
grain research and development and food technology. The company,
through its subsidiary AWB (International) Limited, is
responsible for the export of Australia’s wheat crop through the
Single Desk selling system. Further information is available at
www.awb.com.au
CSIRO Plant Industry (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial
Research Organisation) is Australia’s leading plant research
organisation that applies strategic research in the plant
sciences to promote profitable and sustainable agri-food, fibre
and horticultural industries, develop novel plant products and
improve natural resource management. Further information is
available at
www.csiro.au/plantindustry.
On behalf of its stakeholders, Australia’s grain growers and the
Commonwealth Government, the Grains Research & Development
Corporation (GRDC) invests in research and development for 25
grain crops. The GRDC’s budget of more than $100 million per
annum makes it the largest single investor in Australian grains
research. Further information is available at
www.grdc.com.au.
Syngenta is a world-leading agribusiness. The company is a
leader in crop protection and ranks third in the high-value
commercial seeds market. Sales in 2002 were approximately US
$6.2 billion. Syngenta employs some 20,000 people in over 90
countries. The company is committed to sustainable agriculture
through innovative research and technology. Syngenta is listed
on the Swiss stock exchange (SYNN) and in London (SYA), New York
(SYT) and Stockholm (SYN). Further information is available at
www.syngenta.com |
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