Monsanto subsidiary launches Genuity corn seeds in Vietnam

The seeds offer farmers weed management through herbicide tolerance, as well as insect protection, enabling farmers to optimize their corn productivity.

As the size of Vietnam’s middle class and the national income have increased in recent years there is a trend of growing preference for protein-rich diets, and Vietnam is now witnessing an increased consumption of meat, milk, eggs, and the resulting growing demand for animal feed.

At the same time, with a growing population, agriculture land use for food production has seen an increase in productivity, to be able to enhance production while optimizing natural resources. Farmers need a broad range of solutions to contribute to feeding and nourishing the growing population and doing it sustainably for the future.

Dekalb Genuity corn seeds thus aim to help Vietnam address its growing need for protein by increasing yield.

“We are committed to innovating and partnering with Vietnamese farmers in line with the country’s vision for Vietnam’s sustainable agriculture and rural development,” said Narasimham Upadyayula, CEO of Dekalb Vietnam.

Upadyayula said that Dekalb is going to continue to focus on farmer education, to provide farmers a first-hand experience of the corn seeds with weed management and insect protection traits in their fields, improved farm management practices, and crop stewardship practices for sustained success with corn seeds with plant biotechnologies.

“Enabling farmers to enhance productivity and optimize their natural resource footprint can help contribute to an affordable balanced meal within reach for every Vietnamese family,” he added.

Over the past 12 months, Dekalb Vietnam has trained more than 16,000 farmers in more than 200 locations on the new seeds, technologies and better farm practices, prior to launching off-the-shelf this month.

“I was able to experience the corn seeds with weed management and insect protection traits at the beginning of this year and am happy with this new choice. With this, first, I don’t have to spend much labor for weed management. Second, since it reduces my insecticide spraying for insect protection, it is a new significant alternative. Now I have more peace of mind as I worry a lot less about my major weeds and pests in corn. Corn farming becomes a lot easier with the new corn seeds with in-the-seed traits. After last season, I visited rural retailers in my neighborhood but they said the new seeds were not being sold yet. Today, I am so glad my fellow farmers will be able to access this new choice,” said farmer Luu Van Tran, farmer from Son Hung ward, Thanh Son district, Phu Tho province.

Sharing a similar view, Nguyen Thi Xuan, farmer from Hong Bom ward, Son La Province said, “I hope that Dekalb Vietnam and the Government will care and support us with more and more innovations such as Dekalb Genuity corn seeds. This will help us immensely in reducing our risk of productivity loss to weeds and insects, and thus enhance our productivity, farm income, which can help improve our lives.”

In the past ten month, Vietnam imported more than 5.72 million metric tons of corn to meet the growing demand for cattle feed. The local corn farmers’ community continues facing challenges from weeds and insects, the major causes of crop loss, lower productivity and quality.