Jakarta, Indonesia
March 26, 2008
Arize® offers rice millers and
consumers excellent grain and taste qualities
Bayer CropScience,
one of the global leaders in hybrid rice seeds, has signed a
letter of intent with the Ministry of Agriculture of Indonesia
regarding cooperation in research, development and dissemination
of hybrid rice technology in Indonesia. Financial terms were not
disclosed.
The aim of this cooperation is to further develop hybrid rice
technology and to further support rice production in Indonesia.
The letter of intent has been recently signed by Hans-Josef
Schill, President Director of PT Bayer Indonesia and the Office
of Ministry of Agriculture in Jakarta. “Further investment in
the research and development of innovative agricultural
technologies like hybrid rice in Indonesia confirms the support
from Bayer CropScience to the Ministry of Agriculture´s
objective of achieving sustainable rice self-sufficiency for
Indonesia”, Hans-Josef Schill commented.
“Hybrid rice is a strategic crop for Bayer CropScience”, said
Sidi Asmono, BioScience Manager at Bayer CropScience Indonesia.
“In 2007 we have strengthened our excellent position on the
hybrid rice market in Indonesia. For Bayer CropScience,
Indonesia is definitely a key country in our global strategy for
hybrid rice and we are looking at significant business expansion
here after our initial market introduction in 2006.”
Hans-Josef Schill: “PT Bayer Indonesia is very proud to
cooperate with the Ministry of Agriculture to further develop
hybrid rice in Indonesia. Hybrid rice technology will be
beneficial to the Indonesian farmers and will contribute to a
sustainable increase in rice productivity in the country.”
Emerging hybrid rice seed business
Bayer CropScience is a global leader in the development of
hybrid rice and has built a strong expertise in hybrid rice
breeding and production. Hybrid rice has the potential of
yielding up to 35% more than the best inbred varieties grown
under similar conditions. Hybrid rice technology provides
farmers with high yields, saves land for agricultural
diversification and creates rural employment opportunities.
Hybrid rice can therefore play a major role in enhancing the
productivity of the rice crop and therefore in contributing to
sustainable food security.
Its hybrid rice seeds have been commercialized under the global
umbrella brand Arize® in seven countries in 2007 (India,
Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Pakistan and
Brazil). Further market expansion is planned in China, USA and
Thailand. The company has been active in hybrid rice in
Indonesia since 2004 with significant investments to develop and
produce locally hybrid rice seeds and Arize® Hibrindo R-1 hybrid
rice seeds have been commercialized in the West Java, East Java
and Gorontalo provinces since 2006.
Arize® – aromatic taste and best cooking qualities
Arize® Hibrindo R-1 is the rice hybrid that has been
specifically developed by Bayer CropScience for the Indonesian
market. It has been widely tested in various agro-climatic
conditions in Indonesia and was officially registered by the
Indonesian Ministry of Agriculture. Arize® Hibrindo R-1 can be
planted in most parts of the country, in both wet and dry
seasons. These high quality seeds have excellent genetic purity
and germination rate. Arize® Hibrindo R-1 has consistently
outperformed inbred and other hybrid varieties in terms of yield
and its unique ability to tolerate bacterial leaf blight,
providing an impressive average yield of 9 tonnes per hectare.
It also offers to Indonesian rice millers and consumers
excellent grain, cooking, aromatic and taste qualities, which
are meeting the Indonesian market demands.
Bayer is a global enterprise with core competencies in the
fields of health care, nutrition and high-tech materials. Bayer
CropScience AG, a subsidiary of Bayer AG with annual sales of
about EUR 5.8 billion (2007), is one of the world’s leading
innovative crop science companies in the areas of crop
protection, non-agricultural pest control, seeds and plant
biotechnology. The company offers an outstanding range of
products and extensive service backup for modern, sustainable
agriculture and for non-agricultural applications. Bayer
CropScience has a global workforce of about 17,800 and is
represented in more than 120 countries. |
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