OCTOBER 2014
Sprouts A n e w s l e t t e r f o r e m p l oye e s o f E a s t - We s t S e e d G r o u p
Offering
more solutions for farmers in the tropical world
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Message from the BOM hat an exciting year it’s turning out to be for East-West Seed!
Our company is experiencing steady growth as a business and organization. This makes East-West Seed an ever more attractive and interesting place to work. Last July, we acquired Semillas Tropicales, a Guatemalan company mainly involved in breeding and marketing of tomatoes and distributing East-West Seed products in Guatemala. Our breeder Marcel Sturre has moved to Guatemala with his family to take the role of Deputy Research Operations Manager. He will initiate research activities in other vital crops for Latin America, such as papaya, melons and onions. Herke van der Woude and his team assure the right support for our ambition to play an important role in the region, following our strategy to be the leader in tropical regions in the world. While we are gaining foothold in new markets, we continue to strengthen our home markets. One of the major developments this year is our marketing collaboration with Monsanto, where East-West Seed will now take the role as exclusive distributor of Seminis and De Ruiter vegetable varieties in Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar and Malaysia.
and R&D programs of Monsanto in several crops. This will significantly increase our ability to develop innovative and successful products. EWS will hire several R&D personnel from Monsanto to support the expanded breeding and testing programs. We welcome their addition to our growing pool of creative and dedicated professionals. EWS India, led by country manager Satish Joshi, will do its very best to ensure the smooth and effective integration. Needless to say, beyond these collaborations East-West Seed remains a strongly independent company. The best is yet to come for us! We will keep pushing forward with our mission to develop innovative Bert van der Feltz products for the Senior Vice President b e tte r m e n t o f farmers’ livelihood and the tropical vegetable industry.
Joost Pekelharing President
This expands our extremely successful range of tropical varieties by adding high-performing temperate vegetable varieties. It will reinforce the leading market share of our brand as it allows us to offer more solutions to vegetable farmers. In India, East-West Seed will take over the Product Development
Simon Jan de Hoop Vice President for R&D
In the previous issue of Sprouts, we asked
“What are the top 3 best-selling crops of EWS in 17 African countries?”
Qu z
The correct answer is:
s Why S pr oUt ?
1. 2. 3.
Onion Tomato Cabbage
The winner who sent the correct answer in the fastest time is Napawan Apichitwongnuchit (EWIT). She won a dinner voucher worth THB 3,000. Congratulations! To all who sent their answers and best guesses, thank you very much! Please watch out for the next Sprouts Quiz.
EDITOR’S NOTE:
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On the Cover Dutch foreign trade minister sows EWS hot pepper seeds during launch of GhanaVeg Ghana (West Africa) -- Last 20 June 2014, Dutch Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation, Ms Lilianne Ploumen, launched GhanaVeg, a program that supports the production of quality vegetables from Ghana through new ways of doing business. During the ceremony Minister Ploumen symbolically planted the seeds for the two initiatives. She sowed the popular East-West Seed red chili pepper variety Demon F1 on seedling trays. The Minister said: “Like these seeds, I expect your business initiatives to bear many fruits!� GhanaVeg, an initiative supported by the Netherlands Embassy in Ghana and coordinated by Wageningen UR’s Centre for Development Innovation, presented a grant of GHS 200,000 each to two entrepreneurs to finance their business plans. The beneficiaries are Catherine Krobo-Edusei of Eden Tree Limited and Tikola, an agent of East-West Seed. The grant will support farmers in major vegetable producing regions. It will also develop 19 demonstration sites and provide more than 4,000 farmers with high quality vegetable seeds. The targeted farmers are expected to increase their productivity by 30 to 40 percent. Minister Ploumen said the initiative fits well within the new Dutch policy of trade and aid, using innovative approaches in reducing food insecurity by engaging the private sector. It is estimated that the potential value for export-vegetables in Ghana is at US$250 million, as the sector is growing at more than 10 percent per year. Currently, the country exports 15,000 tonnes of vegetables annually and imports US$ 85 million worth of onions.
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Strengthening our presence in Latin America
East-West Seed acquires Semillas Tropicales in Guatemala East-West Seed continues to make headway in Latin America with its recent acquisition of 100 percent of the shares of Semillas Tropicales, a Guatemalan company that is mainly involved in breeding and marketing of tomatoes and distributing East-West Seed products in Guatemala. About seven years ago, Karina van Leeuwen (East-West Seed) got in touch with highly respected Dr. Douglas Maxwell (Semillas Tropicales, University of Wisconsin) and started to work together. A productive research-cooperation developed between the two companies, resulting in successful co-hybrids, mainly for markets in El Salvador and Guatemala. Eventually it was decided to market the jointly developed hybrids under the East-West Seed brand, giving the brand extra exposure in the area. This cooperation developed further as Semillas Tropicales manager Richard Rotter helped Herke van der Woude set up an office in Antigua, forming the basis for our “outpost� in Latin America. Our interest in Semillas Tropicales grew stronger as we learned more about the interesting tropical tomato markets in Latin America. It was a natural next step that our two companies started talking seriously about how to continue the tomato program after the eventual retirement of main engines of the Semillas Tropicales breeding force, Dr. Luis Mejia and Dr. Maxwell. The friendship and mutual respect fostered between the two R&D teams led to the agreement sealed in July 2014, where 100% of the Semillas Tropicales shares were transferred to our company. Both companies have always kept market development as a focal point and will continue to do so, finding ways to serve vegetable growers in Latin America. Marcel Sturre and his family have already moved to Guatemala. Marcel, being the Deputy Research Operations Manager, will start up research activities in other vital crops for Latin America, such as papaya, melons and onions. Under the leadership of Herke and with continued management support of Douglas and Luis, we aim to take the organization to new heights and to increase our foothold in Latin America. #
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Jan Arie Nugteren demonstrating among farmers in Burkina Faso the “ooze test�, a technique to confirm BW infection on solanaceaous crops.
Experiencing West Africa by Meynard P. Tosay
West Africa is situated in the Sub-Saharan region of Africa, which is made up of 16 countries. It has a very diverse culture and tradition, and multiple dialects spoken in every country. The widely spoken languages are French, English and Portuguese.
John Wester giving recommendations on cultural management as well as pest and disease control in a papaya farm in Senegal.
Agriculture is the primary source of income for many West Africans. Extreme conditions like high disease pressure, scarcity of water, lack of adaptable varieties, and others, make vegetable farming quite difficult. East-West Seed started to operate in West Africa a few years ago to introduce high quality vegetable seeds that are well-adapted for tropical conditions. Seed distribution is not only the main focus in West Africa. Equally important is improving the capacity of farmers by working closely with them and providing training and extension activities, understanding their problems, and making reliable recommendations.
Meynard Tosay, PDS specialist for West Africa, shows to farmers in Ghana typical symptoms of nematode on tomato plants.
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ield day for ridge gourd Bir held in Bangladesh by Habib Rehman On one gorgeous sunny April morning, East-West Seed launched its new bitter gourd variety Bir before 150 farmers in Bangladesh. This variety is poised to follow the big success of Malika introduced earlier in the country. Bir means unbeaten warrior, and it is a very apt name for this product. It was welcomed like a hero by the ridge gourd farmers as a long-awaited variety to fill the gap in the market. Just like a troop of warriors awaiting their chief, the farmers rejoiced with the arrival of Bir.
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n May on 18-19, the North India Sales & Marketing Team conducted a staff training program at Jim Corbett Park, Nainital. EWIN Sales & Marketing Manager Ramesh Shiraguppi, Pramod Kakani and all Regional Managers of North India attended the training program with their team. Mr. Ramesh Shiraguppi also presented the strategies of the EWS group. During the training, the managers presented the following topics: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
Two wheeler safety training by S.N.Gupta Pest Management training by Dinesh Sharma Success story of Cucumber Kamini by Madhukant Mishra Success story of Bean Vaishnavi by Uday Pratap Singh Product Features and Knowledge Training by Anand Kumar Timely Reporting training by Dr. A. K. Singh
The entire training session was well-organized. All participants were able to enrich their knowledge by sharing their own experiences in this training session. #
North India S&M Staff Training Program at Nainital by Uday Pratap Singh
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Utilizing better communication tools for farmer meetings Serving farmers through extension and knowledge transfer is the 7th pillar of our Strategic Initiatives. East-West Seed Thailand (EWTH) Sales and Marketing team focuses on the importance of serving farmers by giving them the highest after sales service. In order to align with and implement the strategy, we have developed ideas on giving information on products, seed technology, and disease and pest management to farmers with the goal of helping them maximize their cultivation and achieve higher yield. Our ideas were implemented through the development and setting up of Mobile Meeting Units. Each Mobile Meeting Unit is managed by the Spot Promoter team and uses communication tools consisting of flip charts, display stands, and a mobile sound system. In 2014, the Spot Promoter team has already setup farmer meetings covering the main provinces and received positive feedback from farmers.
EWTH launches cucumber Power Pack by Suporn Dhammanitniyom The East-West Seed Thailand (EWTH) Sales and Marketing team launched a new campaign to promote Top Green cucumber in Ratchaburi province. Early this year, the crop support team conducted demos and farmers’ meetings in various villages. It was then capped off with a Mini Field Day participated by over 100 farmers. During the meetings, the sales and marketing team found out that farmers frequently mix two to three varieties of cucumber, which resulted to better yield. The team saw an opportunity to further help the farmers and boost sales. EWTH introduced a new campaign -- the Power Pack. This pack is a bundle of the Top Green and Hot Star varieties, and will help farmers by reducing their expenses and increasing their income. Last May 15, 2014, the Power Pack made its market debut at Sri Muang Market. The promotions team headed to the biggest trade center in Ratchaburi and handed out Power Pack brochures to farmers and traders. As part of the brand and product awareness, the team prepared exciting games and gave away samples and Power Pack gift sets as well. Models and our very own mascot, Nong Sorn Daeng were also present. Furthermore, the event garnered a radio spot broadcasting from Sri Muang Radio. The second round of promotional event happened in August, just in time for cultivation as the rainy season ends.
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Prema for kharif, Prerana for rabi Successful onion varieties in India by Grandeur Gaspar EWPH Allium Business Manager Grandeur Gaspar and PMC Manager Ric M. Reyes recently visited onion growing areas in India to get a deeper understanding of the market and exchange best practices. The visit is a great learning experience for the team and gave better understanding of onion growing practices, performance of encrusted onions and EW varieties, market situation and value chain dynamics. India today has an estimated area of 700 thousand hectares devoted to onion with annual production of 13.56 million tons. The country is the second largest onion producing country in the world. There are two distinct season of onion production: Kharif (wet) season – sowing starts in June and harvesting in November and the Rabi (regular) season where sowing starts in October-November and harvesting done in April to May. PREMA, a variety introduced by East-West Seed, is now the favorite variety of farmers for the kharif season . Last year, many onion growing areas were afflicted with a deadly disease called purple blotch. Prema has very good resistance against purple blotch, very uniform bulb size, 70-85 grams, globe shaped, dark red in color and pungent taste. For the rabi season, PRERANA, another variety from East-West Seed is also the preferred type because of its high yield performance, excellent fruit quality, globe round, light red in color with average fruit weight of 60-65 grams, excellent performance during rabi season cultivation and desired for its outstanding ambient storability.
Grandeur Gaspar, EWPH Allium Business Manager and Ric M. Reyes inspecting newly harvested Prema at Kornool, India
Grandeur Gaspar, left and Ric Reyes (right) of EastWest Seed pose with one of the successful Prema farmers in Bangalore India. The farmer Balajaji Singh, is very happy of the performance of Prema yielding 7-10 tons per acre. He likes the excellent fruit quality of Prema, deep red color and uniform bulb and is preferred by traders and consumers.
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Panah Merah Expo 2014 PT East West Seed Indonesia (Ewindo) held its yearly “Panah Merah Expo 2014”, a national expo attended by about 300 farmers from all over Indonesia last 10 to 11 June 2014. The aim of the expo is to introduce modern vegetable cultivation techniques to farmers, in order to support national food security goals. “The National Expo is one of Ewindo’s ways to show its seriousness in realizing the advancement of the national horticulture sector through high quality seeds and the development of farmers. The farmers are not only introduced to seed quality, but also able to consult, exchange ideas and learn the techniques of tropical vegetable production,” said Ewindo Managing Director Glenn Pardede. In this event, Ewindo featured around 100 varieties of vegetables. Among them are Gemini virus-resistant crops like tomatoes, cucumbers and beans. Aside from being resistant to viruses and other diseases, crop production is also higher on average compared to other varieties. In addition, farmers also got a chance to talk directly with Ewindo’s experts in cultivation and plant diseases. Farmers also joined in a series of fun activities like the cooking competition. Aside from farmers, the general public including lecturers, students, and people from the communities were also interested in visiting the beautiful National Expo demo plot. Ewindo also invited its employees’ family to come and enjoy the event. The event was covered by leading national media. #
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ndonesia is a huge corn-eating population. Corn is consumed boiled, roasted, fried, and in the form of snacks like cornick (crunchy corn) and crackers. In Java, Madura, Sulawesi, West Nusa Tenggara, East Nusa Tenggara, corn is considered a staple food. Madurese and Central Javanese people will say that they cannot live without corn as their daily source of energy. Corn farmers say that they get hungry very fast if they don’t consume corn of both flint and field corns in the important meals of the day. In urban areas and city centers, one can easily find boiled and roasted field corn, even by the side of the road. Many sellers also push around two-wheel carts to sell boiled corn to commuters. Realizing the opportunity to introduce new varieties of corn into the market, it was agreed during the East-West Seed Group corn meeting led by PMC Manager Sanong Maneewan to launch two new purple waxy corn varieties. Aside from being a good energy source, purple waxy corn contains anthocyanin, which has plenty of health benefits. Anthocyanin are pigments responsible for the dark hue of many plants and flowers, including purple waxy corn. Appearing in virtually all plant tissue, including in the stems, roots, leaves, flowers and ears, these molecular compounds (a type of flavonoid) are odorless, flavorless and considered to be a powerful antioxidant with a variety of health benefits.
The Wonders of Purple Corn by Tukiman, PDS EWINDO
Here are 9 health benefits of anthocyanin: r r r r r r r r r
Cancer prevention Anti-inflammatory Diabetes prevention Allergy relief Better eyesight Stronger heart Weight loss Ulcer treatment Better cognitive function
We project that the introduction of these two new purple corn varieties, with a host of wonderful health benefits, will become good contenders to the local white flint corn and hybrid yellow field corn. Photo caption: The International Corn Team Meeting was held on 17-18 June in Muntilan Municipality, Magelang District, Central Java Province. It was led by PMC Manager Sanong Maneewan and attended by the teams from EWINDO (Afrizal Gindow, Tukiman, Wakrimin, Agung Pratama ), EWTH (Prakit Noipinit, John Mark, Saithip Nantameechai ) , EW-HMTD (Houng Thi Van), Myanmar (Kittitouch Pattanakittipong, Thein Tun ), EWPH (Robert de la Pena, Gabrielle B Parungao, Bonifacio Malab ), and EW-India (Nitinkumar Pangal).
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imited access to knowledge on vegetable production is one of the dilemmas Cambodia farmers face today. This primarily hinders their vegetable production growth. Twenty nine-year-old farmer, TuyNech and his wife, Mrs. Path Kunthea live with their two children at the KienSvay district, Kandal province in Cambodia. The couple often ponders how growing chili will be a better source of income than growing sugarcane. They realized that the first priority should be finding a person to train them and give technical advice on chili growth and production. Through the partnership between East-West International (EWIT) and Cambodia Agricultural Value Chain Program (CAVAC), this young family’s dream has become achievable. Mr. TuyNech was happy to receive the news that EWIT will be conducting training on chili production. The seed shop owner who delivered the news excitedly shared that together with other farmers, the training will cover the use of good seeds and application of modern techniques. EWIT and CAVAC started a Chili Demonstration to support the farmers and Mr. Tuynech happily participated. EWIT staff recommends the Demon variety as it fits Cambodia’s market preference. While Mr. TuNech focused on taking care of his chili farm, his wife supplemented their income by working in a garment factory.
Success story of a Chili farmer
Farmer TuyNech and his wife, with EWIT staff
A month after the transplanted seedling, the results made the couple very happy. When they began to see that the chili plants were very healthy and produced abundant fruits, Mr. TuyNech asked his wife to stop working at the factory and instead help him in harvesting their crops. Seeing good profit from chili production, he decided to invest more. He sold his motorbike for 430 USD, bought a 50 USD old motorbike and spent the rest of money on his chili farm. Mr. TuyNech took the chili production seriously and planted 5,570 plants of Chili (Demon variety) and managed to harvest over 4 tons. The young couple is extremely excited with the returns in their investment from the chili production and they look forward to reinvesting to grow chili next year. Mr. TuyNech and his wife trust East-West Seed’s varieties and the advice given by its staff.
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East-West Seed introduces exciting new varieties in Malaysia New exclusive distributor and additional range of products announced Malacca, Malaysia – At a dealer’s conference held last August 22, East-West Seed announced its exclusive distributor in Malaysia and the introduction of new and innovative vegetable varieties to the country. East-West Seed announced its tie-up with Advansia, a leading local agriculture products supplier. This is welcome news to vegetable sector in Malaysia, as East-West Seed announced a total of ten (10) crops and at least 18 varieties to be sold under its well-known brand. This range of products for is composed mainly of East-West Seed’s highly successful varieties of cucumber, yardlong bean, bitter gourd, coriander, okra, ridge gourd and sweet melon (a total of 12 varieties). In addition, East-West Seed will also exclusively distribute vegetable seed varieties of the Seminis range (a brand of the Monsanto Corporation). For Malaysia, the Seminis varieties of sweet corn, sweet pepper and cabbage (total of 6 varieties) will be re-launched under East-West Seed’s leading brand and become available exclusively at authorized East-West Seed resellers. Alongside its active Malaysian distributor Advansia, all sales, marketing, promotion and after sales service in this partnership will be handled by East-West Seed. This tie-up is expected to further solidify the leading market share of East-West Seed in its key markets. East-West Seed sees plenty of opportunities for growth in Malaysia’s vegetable farming sector, both for domestic and export markets. Johor Baru is the main production area for premium lowland varieties for export to neighboring Singapore. Perak and Johor are major production areas for sweet corn, while the Cameron Highlands produce high-end indoor varieties like sweet pepper, lettuce and beef tomato for the local and overseas market. #
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East-West Seed announces marketing and R&D collaboration with Monsanto r &84 UP FYDMVTJWFMZ EJTUSJCVUF 4FNJOJT BOE %F 3VJUFS QSPEVDUT JO LFZ 4PVUIFBTU "TJBO NBSLFUT r "OOPVODFT 3 % DPMMBCPSBUJPO JO *OEJB PO LFZ DSPQT East-West Seed is now the exclusive distributor of vegetable seed
farmer customers,” said Bert van der Feltz, Senior Vice President.
products from Seminis and De Ruiter (both brands of Monsanto Company) in in Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam and Malaysia. East-
“More and more farmers recognize the value of good quality
West Seed will sell these high quality sub-tropical and temperate
seeds as it improves vegetable production significantly. This
vegetable varieties under its well-known brand.
distribution partnership will benefit from East-West Seed’s closeness to the farmers and knowledge of the market. It will
This ambitious and strategic partnership launched in September
ensure better coverage and efficiency in making quality vegetable
1, 2014 follows the success of the distribution cooperation for
seed varieties available to famers. This fits with our mission to
Indonesia, which started in August 2013. It further expands
provide innovative products and services that help increase
the range of seed products on offer to the vegetable farmers in
farmers’ income and promote the growth and quality of the
Southeast Asia that serve a population of over 500 million, and
vegetable farming industry,” he added.
brings fresh opportunities for the region’s vegetable production sector, dominated by small-scale farmers.
“With the support of our active sales and marketing teams, our customers are assured of the same excellent product and farmer-
“We are excited to see the strong brand of East-West Seed in
oriented service for which they have known East-West Seed for
the major ASEAN markets combined with high quality hybrids
more than 30 years. By making this exciting range of products
and varieties of Monsanto. This partnership will bring together
available under our brand, we believe we are better able to serve
our deep market understanding based on 30 years of experience,
vegetable farmers in our key markets in Asia,” he said.
with an exciting product range – all in the effort to better serve our
R&D collaboration East-West Seed also recently announced a collaborative agreement with Monsanto in India, where EWS would take over the Product Development and R&D programs of Monsanto in oriental cucumber, bottle gourd, bitter gourd, watermelon, onion, eggplant, cauliflower and okra. This exciting program expansion will significantly increase East-West Seed’s ability to develop innovative and successful products in its markets. The collaboration will increase the range of East-West Seed’s product portfolio, in the effort to better serve its farmer customers. Beyond this marketing and R&D partnership, the two companies East-West Seed and Monsanto remain independent and separately existing companies.
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East-West Seed Broadcasting
Sorndaeng Channel launched East-West Seed started its business with a small group of people 30 years ago. Now the organization has grown to around 3,000 employees in multiple locations in different countries. Communication has become a bigger priority than ever. The good news is, technology offers solutions to share knowledge and important information. Last 1 July 2014, EWS companies in Thailand including EWTH, ROH, EWIT and HGR launched the Sorndaeng (Red Arrow) Channel. The official launch was led by EWS President Joost Pekelharing and EWTH General Manager Wichai
Laocharoenpornkul. Vice President for R&D Simon Jan de Hoop gave a live telecast from HGR-Chiang Mai. Senior Vice President Bert van der Feltz closed the program and encouraged all employees to be a part of the success of EWB by contributing their ideas. The EWB – Sorndaeng Channel airs four times a day (morning, lunch, afternoon break and before finishing daily work time). The program content are divided into themes: Strategies, Quality, English lesson, Innovation, Success Stories, Knowing your Organization & Products, EWS Society, Health Tips and Thoughts/Feelings shared by employees. Employees are encouraged to be a part of the success of the EWB by sharing their ideas, thoughts, feelings, information, knowledge, experiences in any form such as You Tube, Power Point, DVD, Clip and etc. via Email, SMS, Voice mail, Line, CD, DVD to the EWB Committee or HR.
Think Before You Click by Nupur Bala
“Think Before You Click” is a communication campaign in all East-West Seed countries that emphasizes the importance of email etiquette, especially since email is the most widely used communication tool within the company. EW-India supported this campaign by sharing the leaflets to employees, which were initiated and designed by Group Communication Manager Francine Sayoc along with Dee Niyatanon and Joe Theansuwanno. To take this campaign further, the HR & ICT teams together had a session on the same topic for our Aurangabad employees. Gajanan Deshmukh from ICT, along with Gautam Saha and myself from HR conducted a session to make people aware of the vital role that communication plays. We shared examples of how to use email effectively, as well as Outlook tips and tricks. It was a highly interactive session where everyone shared their experiences and realized what to avoid while writing an email in order to make our email communication more effective. #
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EWPH ‘State of the Company Address’ and Bright Ideas Expo held East-West Seed Philippines held its yearly “State of the Company Addressâ€? which takes place in the last week of July, coinciding with the birthday celebration of its General Manager Dr Mary Ann Sayoc. The day was also highlighted by the Bright Ideas Expo, part of the Think Big Act Bold 2.0 program, where employees presented interesting project proposals. The event, held at 8 Waves Waterpark Hotel, was attended by 140 employees who came from various EWS locations in the Philippines. Dr Sayoc talked about EWPH’s progress on the seven strategic initiatives, OPEX performance, EWS Group update, EWPH WIGs for 2014 and various company activities. Among her report’s highlights are EWPH’s well-established Knowledge Transfer activities, which the Group recently included among its strategic initiatives. r 5IF 5FDIOPMPHZ 5SBOTGFS %FQBSUNFOU JT JO UIF GPSFGSPOU PG UIF QPTU :PMBOEB SFDPWFSZ QSPHSBN " UPUBM PG GBSNJOH households in 15 municipalities of Leyte and Samar were given a package of vegetable seeds with training brochures. Some farmers have realized income from selling kangkong and pechay. r 4IF BMTP SFQPSUFE UIF PO HPJOH JNQMFNFOUBUJPO PG UIF 'BSNFS 'JFME 4DIPPM DPNQPOFOU PG UIF "VTUSBMJBO $FOUFS GPS International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) and ARCCESS projects in Leyte, Samar and Bohol. r &81) BMTP TJHOFE B 1I1 NJMMJPO TVC HSBOU GPS UIF Ă STU NPOUIT JNQMFNFOUBUJPO PG UIF WFHFUBCMF DPNQPOFOU of the USDA-funded project in the CARAGA Region of Mindanao. r 5IF 5FDIOPMPHZ 5SBOTGFS UFBN DPNQMFUFE UXP CBUDIFT PG WFHFUBCMF QSPEVDUJPO USBJOJOH GPS QBSUJDJQBOUT
A video on the Svalbard seed vault, which Dr Sayoc visited early this year as an Executive Board member of the Global Crop Diversity Trust, was shown to share with employees what is being done to conserve crop diversity. After the presentation, employees were given the chance to ask questions. Questions received were related to company policies, future direction/s, sales outlook for the year, employee benefits, salary administration policies, etc. The SOCA was followed by Dr. Sayoc’s birthday celebration.
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New greenhouses built for EWTH stock seed farm by Seksant Wangrat One of the important undertakings of East-West Seed Thailand this year is to improve the efficiency of seed production through the idea of “One Operation Farm for FS/SS and PDS�. This was done in the SS farm in Chiang Ma, where new green houses and related facilities have been constructed. These additional facilities will not only increase our capacity for parent seeds production, but also for production of PDS seeds. It will expedite the process and allow us to immediately respond to market demands and launch products faster. This development will also increase the production of cucurbits seeds to reach three cycles or 90,000 plants/year. Before
After
Size(square meter)
9,942
14,262
No. of Plants/year
100,074
131,754
Seeds(kgs)
198.2 kg
420 kg
The SS Station is the up-stream step of whole seed production process. We are committed to developing the quality of parental line production (high purity, vigor and germination) so that farmers will get the best quality seeds.
Plant Expansion in India by Shridhar Jagdale & Sachin Bijwe East-West Seed India (EWIN) continues to enhance its business by introducing innovative products and entering into new markets. To support this growth, EWIN has expanded its plant and processing facility. This new state of art facility has an area of 1650 sq. meters, which is almost twice the size of its earlier facility. The new expanded area will help accommodate the increasing production quantities of domestic production and also to perform sampling and seed cleaning with better efficiency.
EWIN has also added a new RR seed coater in this new facility, which will help to improve the efficiency and quality of seed coating. The seed packing area is also newly renovated with epoxy coating and more working space. We are installing a new FSS packing machine from Nobelindo in the new packing area very soon. The newly expanded area and the addition of new machineries will definitely help EWIN to supply quality seeds in a more efficient manner to Indian farmers in the coming years. #
16 Replace bed cover plastic with ground cover clothes, which have longer useful life. Savings: 27%
EWTH’s Trial Bed Eco Farm Sustainable and Sufficient Farming
Replace wooden pegs with steel pegs, which are more durable and easier to put into the ground. Savings: 55%
by Khachonsak Nakbun
Trial beds are used for experimenting and
Replace bamboo beams with iron water pipes, which last longer and has more a more even shape. Savings: 36%
trialing varieties as required by internal customers. For each trial, the company spends a considerable sum for planting supplies such as bed cover plastic, wooden pegs, bamboo beams, ropes and others. Here’s how we are making the effort to make better use of supplies by using longer lasting materials, and the savings we will make over five years.
Reduce chemical use by using old fashioned Scarecrow and old CDs to fend off birds. Savings: 97%
Reduce fertilizer and chemical use by using earthworms to improve the soil. Savings: 83%
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Why is grafting a good solution against soil borne diseases? by Tukiman, PDS EWINDO Research has shown that grafting can be effective against a variety of fungal, bacterial, viral, and nematode diseases. Grafting is also highly effective at overcoming abiotic sources of stress such as soil salinity, temperature extremes, and excessive soil moisture. It has been utilized to reduce the effects of flooding in areas where a heavy rainy season may occur. In some areas in Indonesia, we observed that (1) tomatoes are susceptible to bacterial wilt Ralstonia solanacearum and foliar damage caused by Gemini virus (2) eggplants are susceptible to bacterial wilt Ralstonia solanacearum and Phomopsis blight (3) watermelons are susceptible to Fusairum oxysporum, and foliar damage caused by Gemini virus, and (4) sweet melons are susceptible to gummy stem blight and foliar damage caused by Gemini virus.
Expo participants try their hand at grafting during the Ewindo National Expo.
Considering these realities, Ewindo demonstrated among farmers the advantages of grafting during the National Expo on 10-11 June 2014. PDS Ewindo led the training, where participants tried their hand at grafting scion of indeterminate tomato Marta 9 and determinate tomato Betavila, both of which have intermediate resistant to Gemini virus. For rootstock, they used determinate Permata which is highly resistant to bacterial wilt Ralstonia solanacearum. They also practiced grafting the scion of eggplant Mustang, which has high yield and intermediate resistant to bacterial wilt. For rootstock, they used Laguna which is highly resistant to bacterial wilt. The expo participants, some of whom are seedling raisers, were very enthusiastic to try and implement grafting techniques in developing their seedling business.
Increased trial success in farms with spun-bonded sheets by Tanwa Yapanan
Disease pressure is a challenge for seed production areas during the mid growing season and outside the growing season, especially when other farms surround the area. Recently, East-West Seed Thailand expanded its land area for stock seed production in order to support the growth of the company and meet the demand for increasing quantity of seeds. To protect the plants in the open field, we have introduced the use of spun-bonded sheets. It is a kind of fabric made from polyester that is tolerant against tension and tearing. It is thin, light, transparent and has long useful life. Light, water and air can flow through. We the spun-bonded sheet to cover crops for seed production, especially in the critical months. It helps protect against damages caused by thrips and white flies that carry virus. Moreover, it helps reduce the use of insecticides and the risk of touching chemicals. Spun-bonded sheets are reusable and can save up to 33% of production cost. Aside from seed production fields, the sheets can also be used for breeding trials. We first used the sheets for a pumpkin breeding trial. It was very effective in protecting against insect damage. Since that time, we have been using it for other breeding trials at Farm Lert Phan, and this has greatly increased the trials’ success.
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East-West Seed Philippines supports typhoon-affected farmers in major vegetable producing provinces By Gerry Domingo In the aftermath of Typhoon Glenda (international name: Rammasun) which hit the Philippines during the middle of the year, East-West Seed Philippines donated vegetable seeds to farmers that were badly affected in three major vegetable producing provinces in the eastern side of the Philippines. Around 1,200 participants consisting of farmers, Municipal Agricultural Officers (MAOs) and key influential persons in agriculture were present to witness the said donation.
vegetables meant to help the farmers quickly recover their losses from the said natural calamity. Farmers and local government units were thankful to EWS for the said donation and pledged to stay loyal to EWS. As a sign of goodwill, the Department of Agriculture and local government units promised to purchase more EWS seed varieties to augment whatever seeds we have donated for distribution to other municipalities. This again shows that our company is true to its commitment in serving Filipino farmers.
The donated seeds were mostly leafy
East-West Seed Philippines lends a hand to back-to-school program The spirit of volunteerism is alive in East-West Seed. Last June, employees of East-West Seed Philippines joined forces with other private companies during a weeklong campaign in various schools in Luzon to help prepare for the opening of classes. The Brigada Eskwela activity was spearheaded by the Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP), where EWPH is an active member company. Other member companies who participated in the campaign were Citibank, ePLDT, Accenture, Philip Electronic and Lighting, Holcim, Asalus Futulecare, Deloitte Phils., AAI Worldwide Logistics Inc., FEP Printing, and Newspaper Paraphernalia. Bakeshop Tinapayan Festival provided the snacks for the volunteers while Builders Choice supplied the paint for the classrooms and chairs. Aside from the cleaning the classrooms, painting desks and wrapping books, the volunteers from EWPH taught vegetable gardening to elementary students. Victoria San Juan-Co, relationship management head of PBSP, said “EWPH volunteers taught the kids how to grow vegetables as a way to earn extra income. Aside from teaching gardening, they gave many seedlings of eggplant and tomatoes. In six months, these will start to fruit.” EWPH keeps spreads the joy of vegetable gardening among schoolchildren in its continuing Tanim sa Kinabukasan (TSK) program. #
Pinakbet Feeding Program East-West Seed Philippines’ regional field force for Bicol celebrated the Philippine Nutrition Month on July 30, 2014, exactly a week after Typhoon Glenda, through a Pinakbet Feeding Program held at Cotmon Elementary School, Camalig, Albay. The students were served a healthy dish of pinakbet (a classic Filipino vegetable dish with pumpkin, eggplant, bitter gourd, yardlong bean and okra) prepared by the parents. (Photo credits: Mike de la Paz, Migs Saavedra)
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Creative display of
our Strategic Initiatives
During the PMC Crop Meeting held in Bangalore last 14-16 July, East-West Seed India’s S&M team made a brilliant display of the Strategic Initiatives through vegetable and fruit carvings. It easily became the center of attraction during the meeting because of its uniqueness and creativity in representing the strategies that will help our company attain its vision. (Photo credit: Mallikarjun Doni)