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CORPORATE SCENE Syngenta East Africa Marketing Africa crew held a discussion with Mr. Fred Otieno, Managing Director, Syngenta East Africa on Syngenta’s role in the regional ecosystem and shares the excerpts here-under. Kindly share with us a brief on who Syngenta is on the global scale. Syngenta is one of the world’s leading agriculture companies helping to safely feed the world while taking care of the planet. We help millions of farmers to grow safe and nutritious food. Our aim is to improve the sustainability, quality and safety of agriculture with world class science and innovative crop solutions. Our technologies enable millions of farmers around the world to make better use of limited agricultural resources. Our staff, over 28 thousand strong workforce around the world collaborate closely with farmers, providing solutions to help them get the most from the crops they have planted. What was the company dream when making a foray into the East African territory? How do you compare your performance here vis avis other markets in Africa? Syngenta operates in more than 90 countries working to transform how crops are grown. In Kenya, we have a long history of operating here for over 55 years. Syngenta as a company was incorporated in the year 1965 when the agricultural divisions of Novartis and AstraZeneca merged. Prior to that, we were incorporated in Kenya under different names that preceded the formation of Syngenta. Africa is a continent that has huge potential and particularly in Agriculture. By Marketing Africa Crew As historians say, Africa is the cradle of mankind. We have practiced agriculture for many centuries to feed ourselves. However, the population growth in Africa coupled by climate change, demand that we must change our agricultural practices if we are to be sustainable. To paint a picture on what this means, the population of Africa is projected to double to about 2.2billion people, yet we still have the same land mass and increased climatic fluctuations. Climate change is leading to unreliable rainfall, increase in pests and increase disease pressure all which affect the yield potential for crops. For instance, we have recently seen the swamps of locust ravage pasture. In the same way, we continue to experience many other pests and diseases that are becoming more endemic and will continue being a challenge in the future. To overcome these challenges requires that we change our agricultural approach to ensure we can respond to the increased demand for food in a more sustainable way. This is the big opportunity that Syngenta sees working in this region. Eastern Africa is extremely fortunate to be abound with good soil, good climate and huge opportunities to intensify our farming. We have seen the uptake of technology increasing over the years. Even small-scale farmers are constantly looking for better hybrid seeds to secure better yields. We also help them respond to the pest and disease pressure that affects us in this region. One of the recently topical pests is Fall Army Worm (FAW) that has become a real challenge for maize growers, significantly affecting yields for maize. We provide several solutions to farmers to deal with this pest. The potential in this region remains huge, hence our commitment to be part of the journey of developing agriculture here. With regards to how we compare with other parts of Africa, it’s complex to draw simple comparisons between East Africa and the rest of Africa because across the continent we have different crop patterns and climatic conditions. However, we have observed there’s more intensification and use of technology in Southern Africa in comparison to East Africa. The average yields per hectare comparisons show that we still have a lot of opportunity to optimize our agriculture in East Africa. Where you are right now on your mission, and what plans do you have in the pipeline for the future? Syngenta is an innovation and science led organization. We constantly strive to support farmers achieve the full potential of their crops. We are relentless in our quest for new technologies in seeds and crop protection. We develop seeds with better genetic characteristics which enable farmers to plant crops that will yield more. This is a journey we have undertaken, and we are confident that in the mid to long term we shall have developed a good range of seeds to give us a strong share growth in this market. What I’ve come to appreciate in seed technology, there is no shortcut in achieving success. We partner with different scientific and research organizations to develop seeds a process that takes years to commercialize. In addition to seed, the main stay of our business is crop protection products. Said simply, these are products that help farmers fight pests, diseases and weeds in their farms. We are constantly looking for new and improved products that control these unwelcome visitors to our farms. We seek new solutions that are more economical and safer for the planet. Huge steps have been made globally in ensuring that the solutions we provide are more sustainable. It is a continuous quest for us at Syngenta. Each region and climatic condition brings a different set of challenges. In She can feed a hungry planet. We’re going to help her do it. In Sub-Saharan Africa, the average farm produces only 1.3 tonnes of maize. In North America, it’s seven times as much. What farmers need, across the world, is access to the technology, skills and resources that can help them get more from their land. As one of the world’s leading agricultural companies, Syngenta is committed to helping farmers raise yields while conserving water, soil and ecosystems. It’s part of what we call the Good Growth Plan. We commit to making six measurable contributions to global food production by 2020. For more information about the Good Growth Plan, our six commitments and the progress we are making, visit www.goodgrowthplan.com Beth Wangari is one of 450 million smallholders worldwide, who produce over 25% of the world’s food. As one of the world’s leading agricultural companies, we’re committed to empowering smallholders like Beth, so they can increase their yields sustainably and become more profitable. But it doesn’t stop there. In The Good Growth Plan, we have set out six measurable ways in which we’ll help farmers to overcome major farming challenges by 2020. And we’re ready to work with growers, governments, NGOs and all who share this agenda. To learn more about The Good Growth Plan, our six commitments and the progress we are making, visit www.goodgrowthplan.com 12 MAL36/20 ISSUE © 2014 Syngenta AG, Basel, Switzerland. All rights reserved. The SYNGENTA Wordmark and THE GOOD GROWTH PLAN are trademarks of a Syngenta Group Company. www.syngenta.com