2018 OUR YEAR IN REVIEW Top-seed ranking
Banking on it
Field goals
We were ranked #1 in the South and
Protecting the food of tomorrow relies on
Thousands of people from over 20 countries
Southeast Asia Access to Seeds Index in
preserving genetic material today. Inside we
attended our various field days in 2018 to
2018. Find out how our core business is
look at some of the gene bank collaborations
see hundreds of the most innovative tropical
focused on serving smallholder farmers
that are shielding crops from extinction and
vegetable varieties available. Take a closer
and effectively contributes to the UN’s
preserving biodiversity by safeguarding
look at some of the highlights from these
Sustainable Development Goals.
genetic resources.
events inside.
2018 Our Year In Review
Copyright Š 2019 by East-West Seed All rights reserved. This report or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of East-West Seed. 50/1 Moo 2, Sainoi-Bangbuathong Road, Sainoi, Nonthaburi, Thailand Printed in Thailand. Managing editor: Francine Sayoc Additional editing: Brendan Roane Design and layout: Kunlapus Pounganukrou from EWS Studio
Contents 04
Introduction and Company profile 04 - Mission & Vision
08 - Our company through the years
05 - Core values
10 - Our Products
06 - East-West Seed around the world
12 - Our People
14
Message from the Supervisory Board
18
Message from the Board of Management
20
Seeds and the SDGs
22
Still leading the industry in serving smallholder farmers
23
Supporting onion farmers in the fight againt armyworm
24
Partnering to conserve plant genetic resources
25
International scientists gather to tackle new dynamics, challenges in plant breeding
27
Overcoming knowledge barriers to attain nutritional security and higher income for farmers in Nigeria
29
Scaling up efforts to prevent child labor in the field
31
East-West Seed launches innovative vegetable varieties at HortiAsia
32
Veggies take center stage in East-West Seed Field Days
35
Transformation: the power of telling farmers’ stories
36
Business transformation in the digital era
37
Harvesting the sun
Mission Our mission is to provide innovative products and services that will help increase the income of vegetable farmers, and promote the growth and quality of the tropical vegetable industry.
Vision Our vision is to be the best tropical vegetable seed company in the world.
4
Core Values
Serving Farmers
Learning And innovation
Passionate Teams
We serve farmers. We are the farmers’ champion. We listen closely to them and we understand their needs. We offer our best solutions and deliver quality in everything we do to improve their yield and income.
We cultivate ideas and harvest innovation. Research excites us. We explore novel approaches, apply new technologies, and build an environment for creativity whether in the laboratory, in the field or in the office.
We aim for excellence in serving farmers by constantly challenging ourselves and the team to excel. As a team we can achieve more than what an individual can. We work together, trust each other, care for and respect each other’s unique and diverse talents.
5
East-West Seed Around The World SPAIN
UNITED STATES
MOROCCO ALGERIA
MEXICO
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
GUATEMALA
BELIZE HONDURAS
BARBADOS
SENEGAL BURKINA FASO
EL SALVADOR COSTA RICA PANAMA
SURINAME IVORY COAST GHANA BENIN
COLOMBIA
NIGERIA
PERU
BRAZIL
Subsidiary Companies
6
East-West Seed Company Inc.
Philippines
Hortigen Properties Corp.
Philippines
East West Seed Company Ltd.
Thailand
Hortigenetics Research (S.E. Asia) Ltd.
Thailand
East West Seed International Ltd.
Thailand
Green and Clean Vegetables Ltd.
Thailand
East West Seeds India Pvt. Ltd.
India
East West Seed ROH Ltd.
Thailand
NaMa Genetics Trading Ltd.
China
East-West Seed (Hai Mui Ten Do) Company Ltd.
Vietnam
Hortigenetics Agrisciences (Nanning) Co., Ltd.
China
EWSY, INC.
USA
East-West Seed (Guatemala) Ltd.
Republic of Guatemala
East-West Seed (Cambodia) Co., Ltd.
Cambodia
East-West Seed (Myanmar) Co., Ltd.
Myanmar
Farm Ready GG Seedling Corporation
Philippines
East-West Seedling Co.,Ltd.
Thailand
East West Seed (Malaysia) SDN. BHD.
Malaysia
MALI
TU
ITALY AFGHANISTAN
GREECE
TURKEY SYRIA LEBANON JORDAN
UNISIA LIBYA
CHINA
IRAN NEPAL
PAKISTAN UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
EGYPT
TAIWAN
SAUDI ARABIA OMAN SUDAN
YEMEN
MYANMAR
INDIA
SRI LANKA
UGANDA KENYA
ZAMBIA MOZAMBIQUE ZIMBABWE
CAMBODIA
PHILIPPINES
THALAND BRUNEI MALAYSIA SINGAPORE
TANZANIA ANGOLA
HONGKONG LAOS VIETNAM
BANGLA DESH
ETHIOPIA
CONGO
JAPAN
KOREA
INDONESIA MAURITIUS REUNION ISLAND AUSTRALIA
SOUTH AFRICA
NEW ZEALAND
East-West Seed 100% subsidiary companies
East-West Seed joint ventures
Joint Ventures
Area of Distribution
Associated Companies
PT East West Seed Indonesia
Indonesia
Genetwister Technologies B.V.
The Netherlands
East West Seed (Tanzania) Ltd.
Tanzania
PT Kentang Hollando Sejahtera
Indonesia
7
Our Company Through The Years 1982
1983
Philippines Establishment of East-West Seed Co. Inc. Philippines First trials in Hortanova Farm Batangas
Philippines First successful commercial vegetable hybrid (bittergourd) developed in Southeast Asia
1986 Thailand First varieties released Philippines First hybrid released
1991 Indonesia First varieties released
1995 Vietnam Establishment of East-West Seed (Vietnam) Co., Ltd. In Ho Chi Minh
1998 Vietnam First trials at Cuchi Farm, Ho Chi Minh
1987 Thailand First hybrid released
1992 Indonesia First hybrid released (eggplant)
1996 Vietnam First hybrid released (tomato) Indonesia Plant pathology and tissue cell culture laboratory opens
1984 Thailand Establishment of East-West Seed Co. Ltd in Nonthaburi Thailand First trials at Lert Phan Farm, Chiangmai Philippines First varieties released
1990 Indonesia -Incorporation of PT East West Seed Indonesia in West Java - First lowland trials, Surakarta, West Java
1993 Indonesia First highland trials, Lembang, West Java
1997 Philippines First trials at Linda Vista Farm, Bulacan
1999 Thailand Plant pathology and tissue cell culture laboratory opens
2000 Thailand - Establishment of Hortigenetics Research (SE Asia) Ltd. headquarters in Chiangmai
8
2002
2003
Thailand Establishment of Green & Clean Vegetable Ltd. in Pak Chong for seedling production
India Establishment of East West Seeds India Private Ltd. in Aurangabad, sales and marketing office
- Establishment of East West Seed International Ltd. in Nonthaburi as export vehicle and regional liaison company
2006 Thailand Establishment of Regional Operating Headquarters China Establishment of representative office and research station in Nanning, Guangxi
2007
2008
India Opening of processing plant Hong Kong Establishment of NaMa Genetics Trading Ltd.
Tanzania Afrisem breeding program founded with Rijk Zwaan Tanzania Establishment of East West Seed (Tanzania) Ltd. Philippines Farm Ready was set up for seedling production
2011
2009 Myanmar Set up of a local company
Cambodia Establishment of representative office in Siem Reap, Cambodia
2013
2014
Tanzania SEVIA public-private partnership launch Thailand East-West Seed Thailand celebrates its 30th year
Guatemala Acquisition of Semillas Tropicales, Guatemala India East-West Seed India marks its first decade
2016
2015 Philippines Joint venture with Grow Group for seedling distribution Indonesia East-West Seed Indonesia celebrates its 25th year East-West Seed Foundation Established Group-wide foundation
2018
East-West Seed ranks #1 in the Access to Seeds Index Thailand New headquarters building opens in Bang Bua Thong Myanmar Established fully owned company Cambodia Established fully owned distribution subsidiary
East-West Seed is ranked #1 in the South and Southeast Asia Index by Access to Seeds
Malaysia Established fully owned distribution subsidiary
2012 Vietnam Establishment of East-West Seed (Hai Mui Ten Do) Ltd., Binh Duong China Hortigenetics Agrisciences (Nanning) Co., Ltd. USA EWSY, INC. Thailand Opening Corn Processing Plant (Suphanburi, Thailand) Philippines East-West Seed Philippines celebrates its 30th year
2017 - East-West Seed celebrates 35 years - 5-year Strategic Plan launched - Establishment of International Headquarters (IHQ) and International Trading Center (ITC)
Myanmar Completion of a seed processing plant in Yangon
9
Our Products
Tropical Vegetables
Bitter Gourd 10
Cucumber
Tomato
Sweet Corn
Hot Pepper
Marigold
Seeds And Packaging 11
Our People 5.0% Business Strategic team 3.4% Knowledge Transfer
23.5% R&D
9.6% General Administration
15.3% Sales and Marketing
43.2% Seed Operation
5,459 total headcount, with
5% increase
The Group acknowledges the importance of diversity and supports gender equality in the workplace. During 2018, women comprised 33% of the Group’s staff, including a significant number of women in managerial positions across seniority levels.
in permanent employees At all times, the Group continues to select prospective board members and executives by focusing principally on their skills, experience and business expertise to supervise and manage the Group’s operations. The Group intends to avoid any changes in the board composition - other than through natural attrition, including retirement - with a view toward limiting any unnecessary business disruption. There were no female members of the management board or the supervisory board during 2018. The Group acknowledges that achieving gender
Gender balance
equality at senior executive and board level will be
1 in 3 EWS employees
actively search for and consider female members to
is a
12
woman
challenging in the short to medium term and will replace any retiring members.
People first
1 in 4 employees is a people manager We are young and dynamic ď Ą The average age of an EWS employee is ď Ą
36
41% of our employees are millennials
Growing our talent pool
5%
of employees had career progression in 2018 in the form of promotion, developmental move, or transfer
New leadership
Sumie Fujimura, General Manager - Vietnam
Dilip Rajan, General Manager - India
13
14
Message from The Supervisory Board Turning commitments into action through the power of partnerships The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are
interconnectedness and collaboration help us
essentially commitments made on a global scale
expand our scope and make a greater, lasting
by all actors in society. The SDGs have been in
impact.
place since 2016 and in recent years have been increasingly gaining support as governments,
In our home markets Indonesia and the
businesses, non-profits, academia and individuals
Philippines, we partnered with public universities
recognize the value of aligning with purposeful and
and research institutions to establish horticultural
far-reaching goals.
gene banks that will conserve vital plant genetic resources. This gives scientists wider access to
As a family business with Dutch roots and deeply
germplasm, which will help plant breeders improve
embedded values of pragmatism, hard work,
vegetable varieties for farmers for many years to
and persistence (stubbornness!), East-West Seed
come.
has taken on the challenge of turning our SDG commitments into actions. Most of them are not
To help farmers combat the destructive armyworm
new to us -- we have been on a mission for 37
which affected 500 hectares of onion fields in the
years now to lift farmers out of poverty through
Philippines, we have partnered with the agriculture
better seeds and knowledge.
ministry by sending our experts to train farmers on effective control and management of the pest.
Looking back at 2018, it has been an eventful
The end in mind is to ensure that farmers in major
year for East-West Seed. Partnerships have
onion producing areas maintain their source of
been a significant driver of our sustainability
livelihood.
efforts in many ways. We are convinced that
15
We have partnered with the Dutch government
We are nowhere near done. We know we still have
(RVO) to expand our efforts in India towards
a long way to go, and I am convinced that the
preventing child labor in the field. This has
partnerships, tools, and capacities we have built
resulted in a wider scope of activities aimed at
over many years keep us on the path to achieving
improved working conditions in seed production,
our vision of a sustainable food future with
better monitoring systems, a broader awareness
smallholder farmers at the center.
campaign on the importance of sending children to school, and stimulating income development
We would like to thank all of our customers and
through knowledge transfer on vegetable
partners, our management and all staff of East-
production.
West Seed for their continued dedication and commitment to our mission.
In August, we took part in an SDG conference organized by Wageningen University on its 100th year celebration, precisely on the themes of SDG 17: Partnerships and SDG 2: Zero Hunger. We talked
Bangkok, March 2019
about the expansion of our Knowledge Transfer activities to Nigeria, where we are promoting a
On behalf of the Supervisory Board,
model for developing the vegetable sector -- a model that has proven successful in other places
Ard Groot
like Tanzania (through our SEVIA partnership) and
Chairman
many developing markets in Southeast Asia, where we also partner with NGOs and other like-minded organizations to give vegetable growers access to knowledge on productive farming practices. Finally, we recognize that we cannot do it without our commercial partners who enable us to sustain our mission of bringing quality seeds to smallholder farmers. Our field days gave us an opportunity to meet our business partners and showcase our latest product innovations. We made sure it was a memorable experience for our guests, whose trust and loyalty are very important to us.
16
Ard Groot
Douwe Zijp
Simon Groot
Chairman
Vice Chairman
Honorary Chairman & Founder
Rutger Groot
Ivan Chung
Juan Santos
Member
Member
Member
Joost Pekelharing
James Amatavivadhana
Dietrich Schmidt
Member
Member
Member
17
Message From The Board of Management An extraordinary year For East-West Seed, 2018 was extraordinary in
In Malaysia, we opened a fully owned subsidiary
many ways.
that will further consolidate our market leadership in Southeast Asia. Record participation from the
It was a challenging year for the seed industry and
trade field days in Thailand, Philippines, India,
we felt the challenge in a very real sense in our
Guatemala, Myanmar and Cambodia confirmed
markets as well, specifically in Thailand, Vietnam
our innovative power and gave us an opportunity
and Indonesia. On the positive side, these setbacks
to celebrate the continued partnership between our
motivated us to look at how we can raise the bar
company and business partners. Looking at R&D
in our operations, improve efficiencies, and focus
as an engine for long-term growth, we invested in
on the market more than ever before. Last year’s
56 hectares of land in Thailand and 11 hectares
challenges have made us more focused and
in the Philippines to support our expanding
practical, finding ways to further improve and make
breeding programs.
an impact. On the second year of our 5-year GROW Strategy, Extraordinary things are already happening.
we set a roadmap for a broad and ambitious
We are strengthening our planning and solving
business transformation that will digitize core
bottlenecks across the supply chain to support
business processes and make our operations more
sales. Global crop managers and country
efficient. We started this project in 2018 and will
commercial teams are working more closely than
continue for at least 3 more years.
ever to bring new varieties to growers at a higher
This transformation is part of our Robust strategic
speed. We released 59 new varieties in 2018,
theme to improve operations through discipline,
a 157% increase from the previous year, and this
processes and systems. To what end? To empower
innovative streak will only continue as we plan
our people to drive business. With our organization
to introduce a minimum of 50 new varieties for
made up of 41% millennials (the average age
2019. We have embarked on an energetic sales
at East-West Seed is 36 years old), one of the
transformation in India to drive revenue and market
smartest things we can do is utilize our people’s
share by increasing our engagement
time and energy for more creative thinking and
with customers.
problem-solving. Digital solutions will liberate them from repetitive and tedious tasks, so they can do
The Philippines posted good growth, signaling a strong organization and connection to the market.
18
work that is fulfilling and value-adding.
Perhaps our most extraordinary feat of 2018 was
passionately working towards our goals. Every year
to lead the entire seed industry in the Access to
is a new race.
Seeds Index where we ranked #1 in the Global Index and the South and Southeast Asia Index, and
We also thank our customers, partners and
#3 in the Eastern and Southern Africa Index. This
shareholders for their trust. You can count on our
brings us four cumulative #1 rankings, consistent
commitment, energy and drive to always stay true
with our performance in 2016 when the first Seed
to the company’s mission, which is indeed an
Index was released and where we led the pack in
extraordinary one.
the Global Vegetable and East Africa indices. Bangkok, March 2019
The world confirms we really live our mission. The seed business is a long term business, a fact we never forget as we focus on making our yearly targets while continuing to build strong foundations for our company. Even though 2018 was a tough year, it was not because of a lack of trying. That is why we would like to thank all the teams for
Bert van der Feltz
Simon Jan de Hoop
Michel Devarrewaere
President & CEO
Vice President
Vice President
19
Seeds and the SDGs The UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) provide a blueprint for a better, more sustainable world for all. It challenges all actors in society -- governments, business, knowledge centers, non-governmental organizations, individuals -- to commit to a visionary framework until 2030 that will help drive purposeful, positive, and sustainable growth.
How does East-West Seed contribute to the SDGs? For us, it goes beyond CSR. Sustainability is our core business. Since 1982, East-West Seed has been at the service of smallholder farmers who produce 85% of the world’s food. Especially in developing and densely populated parts of the world like Asia and Africa, the role of smallholder farmers is quintessential. We believe they are the answer to the big question of food and nutrition security.
20
Vegetable cultivation Advancing the role of
generally consumes
With smallholder farmers
women in sustainable
less water than growing
Through the years
as our main clients, we
agriculture is more
staple crops. We promote
East-West Seed has
East-West Seed has
contribute to doubling
than a nice slogan for
water-use efficiency in
trained and developed
demonstrated that
the productivity and
East-West Seed. Our
farming through training
a pool of approximately
quality seeds and better
incomes of small-scale
Knowledge Transfer has
on practical technologies
11,000 smallholders as
knowledge on farming
food producers and
initiated female-centered
like drip irrigation that
seed growers in many
can lift the livelihood
ensuring sustainable food
programs in several areas
allows farmers to produce
countries. These seed
of smallholder farmers
production systems. We
in Myanmar and India.
vegetables even in dry
growers are the biggest
and rural communities,
advocate vegetables as
These initiatives seek to
seasons and with more
suppliers of the company.
with vegetable farming
the most obvious and
develop a new market
efficient water use.
Aside from creating
as a real opportunity for
accessible way to combat
for commercial seeds,
Moreover, we breed
employment in rural
income diversification.
malnutrition, particularly
develop the vegetable
for drought resistance,
areas, we partner with
Knowledge Transfer
in the most vulnerable
sector, and demonstrate
an important trait for
the Dutch government,
supports them to
communities who rely on
the effectiveness of
varieties developed in the
NGOs and other seed
become successful
their own crop production
engaging female farmers
tropics where the impact
companies in preventing
agro-entrepreneurs.
for sustenance.
in agri-business.
of climate change is felt.
child labor in the field.
We’ve seen firsthand the growth in household expenditure or income per capita in many farming communities where better seeds and better knowledge are made accessible. Many of the farmers we have worked with invest their earnings in building a house, sending their children to school, and creating employment for their communities.
East-West Seed supports sustainable intensification by developing vegetable varieties that allow farmers to produce more food from their land and labor, as well as providing training on cultivation techniques that will allow farmers to be more productive and maximize available resources. In
We recognize the impact of climate change to food production. To support farmers in addressing climate challenges like stress and higher disease pressure, East-West Seed develops varieties that are stress-tolerant and have better resistance to pest and diseases. We train smallholder
We know we can’t do it alone. So we partner globally with governments, knowledge institutions to achieve our objectives of improving the skills of farmers, encouraging environmentally-sound farming practices, and mobilizing knowledge and resources towards
other words, to enable farmers to do more with less.
farmers on climate-smart vegetable production such as off-season vegetable production and crop diversification / substitution, encouraging them to shift to crops that require less water.
We take part in conserving the genetic diversity of horticultural crops by supporting the establishment of gene banks for vegetable varieties, in partnership with public academic institutions. We set up a Genetic Resource Management (GRM) function to lead the conservation of local and exotic germplasm, even some of their wild relatives. A few years ago, we launched high quality seeds of indigenous crops under our Go Grow packaging to encourage farmers to continue growing these local vegetables, which form part of an important culinary, nutritional and cultural heritage.
achieving sustainable agricultural growth in the countries where we work.
21
Still leading the industry in serving smallholder farmers East-West Seed has maintained its top position in the recently launched Access to Seeds Index Access to Seeds, an independent organization funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Dutch government, placed East-West Seed in the top rank, besting 13 other global seed companies on their commitment and performance in providing the world’s smallholder farmers access to quality seeds. In the regional indices, East-West Seed kept a strong and consistent performance: the South and Southeast Asia Index placed East-West Seed #1 among 24 companies surveyed, while the Eastern and Southern Africa Index ranked the company #3 among 22 mostly African companies. This brings four straight #1 rankings for the tropical vegetable seed company with both Asian and Dutch roots, sustaining its good performance in 2016 when the first Seed Index was released and where it led the pack in the Global Vegetable and East Africa indices. Access to Seeds aims to shine a light on how seed companies can step up efforts to improve access to quality seeds of improved varieties for smallholder farmers. It believes that seed companies are a crucial partner in efforts to raise smallholder farmer productivity and achieve food and nutrition security.
22
Supporting onion farmers in the fight against armyworm In early 2018, several farmers from
The armyworm larvae feeds on the tender
how to effectively control and manage
major onion producing regions in the
part of the leaves, leaving the veins
“Harabas”. Technical advice was provided
Philippines reported massive “Harabas”
“skeletonized”. The feeding reaches down
by East-West Seed entomologist Dr Jedeliza
(armyworm) infestation. Pangasinan,
to the bulbs, resulting in huge yield losses.
Ferrater, a PhD graduate from Wageningen
for instance, is one of the largest onion
University who also trained as a researcher
producing provinces in the Philippines,
In support of the Department of Agriculture’s
producing 50 million tonnes of red onion
initiatives to help onion farmers combat the
annually for markets in Metro Manila
outbreak, the University of the Philippines
Through a partnership among East-
and North Luzon.
and East-West Seed, through its Allium
West Seed, ASSIST-Asia, and Germany
at the International Rice Research Institute.
team, held a series of Onion Field Days in
Investment Bank (DEG-KFW), Onion
Approximately 500 hectares of land
Pangasinan and nearby onion-producing
Learning Centers have been setup in 4
planted with onions were reported to be
provinces, Tarlac and Nueva Ecija. Over
provinces where 600 farmers and 40 local
affected by the destructive pest.
600 farmers attended these field days
technicians will be trained on integrated
where East-West Seed experts taught them
pest management until 2020.
How to control and manage armyworm: a practical guide
Monitor the area regularly and look for signs
of armyworm or cutworm presence such as
moths, eggs, larvae and pupae.
Hand-pick the eggs and larvae to reduce
population.
Remove weeds and volunteer plants that may
serve as alternate hosts.
Cultivate the soil by plowing and harrowing,
and use plastic mulch to minimize pupation
in the soil.
Plant trap crops like sunflower, taro or castor
plants around the area.
Use beneficial microorganisms such
as nuclear polyhedrosis virus (NPV) and
entomopathogenic fungi Beauveria bassiana,
Metarhizium anisopliae and beneficial
bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis kurstaki
strain to reduce larvae population.
Apply botanical insecticide like neem extract.
Apply insecticides when necessary and
ensure that these insecticides are of different
modes of action.
KNOW YOUR ENEMY. East-West Seed entomologist Dr. Jedeliza Ferrater (PhD, Wageningen University) conducts a lecture for onion farmers on practical tips to control and address an armyworm infestation
23
Partnering to conserve plant genetic resources The UN-SDG 2: Zero Hunger calls
Moreover, the first Indonesian gene
East-West Seed hopes these
for increased investment in research,
bank dedicated to horticultural crops
partnerships will contribute to raising
technology development and gene
was officially launched in August 2018
agricultural productivity in the
banks in order to enhance agricultural
through a collaboration between tropical
Philippines and Indonesia by giving
productive capacity in developing
vegetable seed company East-West Seed
scientists wider access to germplasm,
countries. Gene banks are critical for
and Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), a
which will help plant breeders improve
preserving biodiversity by safeguarding
public research institution in Yogyakarta.
vegetable varieties that farmers will grow.
genetic resources through inventory, collection, conservation and sustainable use of germplasm for plant breeding programs. East-West Seed supports the effort to conserve genetic resources of vegetable crops by partnering with public institutions. This supports the growth of the horticulture industry, especially in accelerating the development of new varieties and high quality seeds that will result in increasing farmers’ productivity and income. In the Philippines, East-West Seed inked a collaboration in May 2018 with the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB), through its National Plant Genetic Resources LaboratoryInstitute of Plant Breeding (NPGRL-IPB), the country’s national gene bank. The public-private partnership is envisioned to contribute to fast-tracking the regeneration and characterization of NPGRL’s local germplasm and exotic materials.
24
International scientists gather to tackle new dynamics, challenges in plant breeding About 300 plant scientists representing 30 countries gathered in Chiang Mai, Thailand from 30 September to 4 October 2018 to discuss new dynamics and challenges in breeding and genomics of Solanaceae crops like tomato, pepper, eggplant, tobacco and potato.
The 15th Solanaceae Conference, hosted by
In his plenary talk on The Impact of Genome
East-West Seed and Chiang Mai University,
Editing on Crop Improvement, Dr Matthew
focused on new breeding technologies and
Willmann, Director of Cornell University’s
the latest scientific achievements for crop
Plant Transformation Facility and a known
improvement, as well as biodiversity and
figure in plant biotechnology said: “Plant
environmental stresses, with about 60 talks
scientists are constantly striving to improve
and 80 poster presentations given over the
crop plants in ways that directly benefit
five-day program.
consumers, farmers, and food processors. These efforts are guided by a need to address
Scientists believe that using genomics and
a set of fundamental problems, including a
biotechnology in plant breeding leads to
rapidly growing world population, a changing
improved seed varieties that can help farmers
climate, an ongoing battle against pathogens
to get higher yields to feed billions of people
and insects, worsening soils, the negative
around the world.
effects of agriculture on the environment, and the need for tastier and more nutritious foods.�
25
Dr Willmann added, “Researchers have used traditional plant breeding and transgenesis to address these issues, but both have significant disadvantages. Recently, genome editing has become reliable in plants, and this advance has the potential to dramatically speed research and crop improvement.� L-R: Dr Darush Struss, conference lead and East-West Seed Group Biotechnology and Molecular Plant Breeding Manager; Dr Matthew Willmann of the Cornell University Plant Transformation Facility, Dr Nuttha Potapohn of Chiang Mai University; and Mr Bert van der Feltz, CEO of East-West Seed addressing the media’s question during the press forum.
Solanaceae: important economic and agricultural crops Solanaceae crops are major sources of income for many farmers. Future trends in production, trade and consumption of these major crops will influence breeding goals:
More and more consumers care about food safety
and will be willing to pay a higher price for quality
and safe-to-eat vegetables.
Protected cultivation will continue to grow, especially
for specialized products to suit premium demands
(niche segments).
Farmers will gradually move to mechanized
harvesting (because of increasing labor costs) and
improved cultivation techniques like grafted seedlings.
Distribution channels with gradually move from wet
market to supermarket as well as e-commerce.
Modern retail channels will require year round supply.
Food processing will continue to advance.
rail, sea, and road. Air freight will lessen.
International trade will become more regional, through
26
Overcoming knowledge barriers to attain nutritional security and higher income for farmers in Nigeria At an SDG conference held in The
Organized by Wageningen University &
East-West Seed led one of the sessions
Netherlands on 31 August 2018,
Research (WUR), the conference titled
at the SDG conference, with former
East-West Seed shared its long-term
“Towards Zero Hunger: Partnerships
Ambassador Joan Boer and EWS Public
vision to transform Nigeria’s vegetable
for Impact” centered around SDG 2:
Affairs Manager Maaike Groot
markets through pre-commercial
Zero Hunger, achieving food security
as moderators.
Knowledge Transfer activities that
and improved nutrition and promoting
will catalyze innovation at the farm
sustainable agriculture, and SDG 17:
level, giving farmers and business an
Partnerships for the Goals. It brought
opportunity to grow.
together key stakeholders to discuss their views and contributions for achieving the SDGs.
27
Why Nigeria? Nigeria’s potential for food production
However, East-West Seed sees potential
Hadiza Yaro, East-West Seed Business
has not been realized due to heavy
in vegetable farming which currently
Development Manager for Nigeria, said:
reliance on rainfed agriculture (<7%
supports 2 million households and
“Part of the transformation we want for
of irrigated land), lack of infrastructure
possibly generating more than USD
Nigeria is how farmers view farming. We
that leads to isolation of farmers from
3 billion at farm gate level, though its
want them to see it not only as a way of
inputs and markets, and an aging farmer
relevance is greatly overshadowed by
life but as a successful and sustainable
demographic (Average of 50+ years old)
field crops. Vegetables are grown in
business.”
that grow crops on 1.8 hectares of land
3.4 million hectares of land, with main
and majority of whom live on less than
crops including okra, tomato, onion,
USD 1.25 a day.
hot pepper and leafy vegetables. Yields remain low compared with the regional average while post-harvest losses are high.
How to make it happen With partnerships at the crux, the session saw the high profile participation of both the Dutch and Nigerian governments, scientists, international NGOs and the private sector. This follows discussions made in July 2018, when Nigerian President HE Muhammadu Buhari met with Dutch CEOs with business ties in the West African nation, including East-West Seed’s CEO, Bert van der Feltz. The Nigeria session was developed through partnerships with the Netherlands African Business Council and SeedNL, in which seed companies pledged to create an enabling environment in Nigeria.
EWS-KT’s approach in Nigeria can be
This model has been applied in Tanzania through a project called “Seeds
summarized as:
for Expertise for the Vegetable Industry of Africa” or SEVIA which was
Evidence based demonstrations showing
setup through a partnership between the Dutch government, WUR, and
profitable and sustainable production
private seed companies East-West Seed and Rijk Zwaan.
practices
Long term commitment to practical
Elijah Mwashayenyi, Managing Director of the project, shared a few
training; from land preparation until harvest.
lessons from SEVIA: “Our experience from the field illustrates that it is
Field days to promote vegetable as a
important that smallholder farmers learn more about technicalities of
viable business opportunity with a main focus
farming. That’s how they will earn better income and elevate their status as
on the economics. Evaluate how profitable it
agro-entrepreneurs. Knowledge transfer coupled with improved varieties
is by looking at inputs and outputs.
and technology lead to increased productivity.”
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Scaling up efforts to prevent child labor in the field Since 2015, East-West Seed has been active in India in preventing child labor in seed production by implementing internal mechanisms to monitor and take action against possible instances of child labor in the field.
Over the last three years, we have been scaling
Why does child labor happen?
up our efforts by partnering with other seed companies and with funding support from the
In our experience, we found that the main causes of child labor are:
Dutch government through the RVO. These joint actions have resulted in a wider
lack of awareness on the importance of education
scope of activities towards eliminating child
poor living conditions
labor and improving working conditions
insufficient school facilities including outdated teaching programs
in seed production.
What are we doing about it?
Step 1. Awareness: training and communication campaigns
targeted towards farmers, seed production teams, brokers,
local communities, and schools.
Step 2. Preventive Action: acknowledgement in all seed contracts,
with relevant bonus and penalty systems.
Step 3. Multi-step Field Monitoring System: monitoring by our seed
production team and internal audit and external audits
by random sampling.
Step 4. Management Report: internal warning system
and regular reporting.
Step 5. Corrective Action: based on situation and findings.
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Children must go to school campaign:
Setting up a system:
Stimulating income development:
train EWS staff and community
expand existing monitoring systems,
knowledge transfer to seed growers,
stakeholders, develop learning
implement sanctions, supervise and
fresh vegetable production and backyard
packages, implement adult education
motivate staff and growers, organize
cultivation for improving productivity and
programs
regular communication, evaluate and
yields
share information
Expanding anti-child labor activities through the RVO project Jan 2018-Mar 2018
Apr 2018-Dec 2019
Setting up a system Baseline analyses
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Jan 2020-Mar 2020
Evaluation,
â&#x20AC;&#x153;Chidren must go to
and stimulating income
dissemination,
schoolâ&#x20AC;? campaign
development through
outreach to partners
knowledge transfer
and stakeholders
East-West Seed launches innovative vegetable varieties at HortiAsia East-West Seed participated for the first time in HortiAsia on 22-24
The company demonstrated the diversity of its range, offering
August 2018 in BITEC Bangkok. On its maiden appearance, the
both tropical and temperate vegetable varieties for farmers in
company debuted avarieties with innovative traits that promise
Asia. Among the varieties launched at HortiAsia were:
higher productivity and income for vegetable growers.
Fantasy (tri-color waxy corn)
Somtum F1 (papaya)
White, yellow, and purple kernels in a big ear;
A non-GMO papaya variety that offers the same
good tip fill and excellent plant vigor
disease resistance as GM seeds, giving both growers
Sticky and tender, its eating quality remains consistent
and exporters a practical alternative to genetically
even after 3 days from harvesting
modified papaya seeds
Besides its beautiful appearance, it is loaded with
Highly resistant to the papaya ringspot virus (PRSV),
health benefits from anthocyanin, beta carotene
a highly destructive disease that occurs in nearly
and fiber â&#x20AC;&#x201D; all in one ear
every papaya growing area in Thailand but particularly
severe in the Northeast and Central regions
Somtum 90 is the first papaya variety in Thailand that is
90% Highly Hermaphrodite which helps farmers reduce
cost. In addition, Somtum 90 has high yield and provides
long fruits and this is very desirable in the market.
Bears fruit with crispy and tasty flesh, making it a perfect
ingredient for the famous Thai salad som tum.
Its potential yield is 120-160 tons per hectare
Besides joining as an exhibitor, East-West Seed also participated in parallel events that took place in HortiAsia:
Colorato (cherry tomato)
ISHS Scientific conference: Enrique Vasquez, plant breeder
An attractive variety of cherry tomatoes in different sizes,
from Guatemala, presented his research about the productivity,
shapes and colors with an eye-catching presentation on
quality and shelf life of eight papaya genotypes and seven
the shelf for the high-end gourmet market.
tomato genotypes in Mexico
Ideal for salads and fresh consumption
HortiAsia Thematic Forum: Lysette Lacambra, Knowledge Transfer
Technical Specialist, talked about a practical approach to training
farmers, what works and what does not
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Veggies take center stage in East-West Seed Field Days Vegetables were the main attraction in
Aside from top commercial products,
called “Farmer Heroes”, also joined the
multiple Field Days held at East-West
varieties that are unique in the market were
field days to share their experiences and
Seed. The company organized two demo
also showcased including round eggplant,
inspiring stories with the visitors.
fields in the Philippines on November 21
butternut pumpkin, purple
to 23, 2018 at the Villar SIPAG Farm in
waxy-sweet corn, heart-shaped bitter
East-West Seed received several accolades
Bacoor, Cavite and at the University of the
gourd, and purple yardlong bean.
from the Asia Pacific Seed Association (APSA) in 2018. R&D Operations Manager
Philippines-Los Banos in Laguna. The demo fields were organized as part of
Learning sessions on pest and disease
Dalisay Caraos (Philippines) received
East-West Seed’s participation to the 25th
management, natural farming, urban
the APSA Private Sector Award for her
Asian Seed Congress, the biggest gathering
gardening, and vegetable cooking
contributions to plant variety improvement
of seed industry players in the world.
were also held for the visitors which
and developing a pool of talent in
included farmers, agro-supply dealers,
horticulture in the Philippines and Asia.
With the theme “Better Seeds for a Better
entrepreneurs, local community leaders,
East-West Seed was also awarded Best
World,” the demo fields in the Philippines
residents, and school children. Successful
Booth at the Asian Seed Congress.
showcased over 100 vegetable varieties.
farmers and agriculture professionals, aptly
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In India, East-West Seed participated in the successful Bagalkot, Karnataka Horticulture University Agriculture Exhibition which drew a massive turnout of over 100,000 farmers in December. The event was graced by the Chief Minister of Karnataka and Union Minister.
In Thailand, East-West Seed opened the year with Field Days showcasing the best of its product innovations to customers from all over the world, as well as home gardeners from surrounding communities during a well-attended open house. Customers from 22 countries in Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Latin America arrived in Thailand during the weeklong field showcase themed “Partners in Success” from 15-20 January in two locations: East-West Seed’s R&D center in Chiang Mai and its global headquarters in Nonthaburi. Participants came from Brunei, Cambodia, China,
During the public days in Thailand, the
span of 3 days. The theme of the public
Egypt, Guatemala, Hong Kong, India,
company welcomed more than 30,000
days was “Happiness can be grown”,
Indonesia, Japan, Kuwait, Lebanon,
people who were curious about growing
encouraging vegetable home gardening as
Malaysia, Myanmar, Nigeria, Pakistan,
vegetables in their own homes. The
a worthwhile hobby and a source of safe
Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Taiwan,
company sold over 17,000 pouches
and nutritious food for the family.
Turkey and Vietnam.
of Go Grow and Value Pack seeds in a
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Founder and honorary chairman Simon Groot officially inaugurated the event in Chiang Mai, expressing his â&#x20AC;&#x153;sense of pride in seeing a beautiful field of vegetables, a reminder of what this company truly stands for -serving smallholder vegetable farmers with quality seeds of improved vegetable varieties that will help them grow their productivity and income.â&#x20AC;?
Product Highlight Sugar King Our sweet corn variety Sugar King grew in sales volume by 53% in 2018 compared to the previous year, and is expected to grow another 20% in 2019.
Why do farmers love it? Compared to earlier competitor varieties, Sugar King has superior sweet taste, thin pericarp, good tip fill and uniform ears size. It is easy to grow because of
How did it transform the market?
its strong plant vigor and resistance to Northern Corn
Because of its quality, ease of cultivation, and transportability,
Leaf Blight. The green husk cover makes for longer
farmers have been keen to shift to this variety. Since its
shelf life, which allows it to maintain quality even
introduction in 2015, Sugar King has been growing in average
after long distance transport.
volume by 86% and average value by 85%.
Innovative tomato varieties In Central America, East-West Seed has been able to further consolidate its tomato seed sales, with varieties like P-52
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P-52 F1
Guerrero F1
Tyral F1
Bianco F1
Why do growers love it?
F1, Guerrero F1 and Tyral F1 in
East-West tomatoes offer strong virus resistance (among other resistances)
Guatemala and the Dominican
in combination with excellent fruit quality and very high yield. Tomatoes form
Republic, and Bianco F1 in
an important part of the cuisine in Central America. Mostly tomatoes are
Honduras and Nicaragua.
consumed fresh, in salads, and also used to make salsa.
Transformation: the power of telling farmers’ stories Quality seeds are just the beginning of successful farming. From preparing the soil for seedlings, to knowing when to transplant and fertilize, the application of proven expertise has transformed smallholder crop production. In the process, farmers’ lives are transformed too. But what does transformation really mean? People relate to the world through stories, so to illustrate the impact of Knowledge Transfer, we wanted to bring forward the stories of farmers that have been part of our KT program. We started in Myanmar with our documentary series “Myoe Sae”. “Myoe Sae” explores the lives, learnings and work of East-West Seed Knowledge Transfer and the farming communities they engage with. Who are the farmers? What are their cultures, languages and customs? What is their way of life? What do they aspire for? Who are the KT staff who travel to rural areas to empower local farmers to cultivate better crops? What are their challenges and inspirations? To find the answers, we invite you to watch “Myoe Sae”, a documentary series composed of 3-minute episodes, each one featuring a farmer or a KT staff. Discover their real, unique, interesting and transformational narratives. *Search “Myoe Sae” in
YouTube
to watch this series.
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Business transformation in the digital era 2018 was significant for East-West Seed as it charted a road
Agile and efficient processes and systems
map for a broad and ambitious business transformation. It is
Integrated ecosystems between countries and partners
a long-term initiative aimed at enhancing our core business
(seed production farmers, commercial farmers, dealers,
processes through the help of technology, and improving our
distributors, traders)
overall planning and operations.
Efficient operations and better planning. Business
intelligence for improved visibility and better
On the first year of business transformation, our focus was on
decision-making: on cost, product life cycle, market,
redesigning core processes, clarifying roles, and identifying
people and partners
systems to effectively manage our current and future business.
Integrated feedback: market intelligence, product
development, process & people
The end goal is to build future-ready business operations that
Digital user experience: simple, reliable, available anytime,
will enable our team to serve more farmers with better products:
anywhere and platform independent
Scalable technology solutions will improve process efficiency and integrate the overall ecosystem
Processes: agile, efficient and integrated
Industry standard business processes Integrated planning & operations
Defined roles and responsibilities People: empowered through ownership &
Improved employee experience
accountability
One version of the truth Feedback capability Core Processes Modernized-Integrated
Systems: digital
and scalable Any time, anywhere, any device User Experience Driven
Improved visibility of farmer touch points External Stakeholders: engaged
Better user experience through automation of partner interactions.
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Harvesting the sun East-West Seed has made the move towards clean
Solar power now covers 55% of the cold store
energy with the completion of a 250-KWn, 774-panel
electricity consumption during sun hours. It
rooftop solar power installation that will help power its
contributes 18-20% to the facilityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s entire energy mix,
main seed processing facilities in Thailand.
generating power that is equivalent to electrifying 100 regular sized households.
The first of its kind in the seed business in Thailand, the solar power project produces approximately
The company has invested THB 9 million (USD
364,500 Kw of electricity per year, helping power
275,000) for this project, and hopes to recover
its seed processing facilities including the cold and
its clean energy investment within 6 years. This
dehumidified storage, and germination rooms.
installation reduces carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by an average of 658 kg on a daily basis, or an equivalent of planting 4 trees per day.
Bright future for solar energy. East-West Seed has invested in solar panels to generate clean power for its Thailand processing plant.
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BETTER SEEDS for BETTER YIELD
A sustainable food future with smallholder farmers at the center
East-West Seed International Limited No. 50/1 Moo 2, Sainoi-Bang Bua Thong Rd., Amphur Sainoi, Nonthaburi 11150 Thailand Tel : +66 (02) 020 6000 Fax : +66 (02) 020 6099 E-mail : media@eastwestseed.com www.eastwestseed.com