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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
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