Research
GLOBAL RESEARCH AWARD BOOSTS OMNIA’S AGRICULTURE OFFERING
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global partnership between Omnia Group (Omnia), the University of Edinburgh and the African Centre for Gene Technologies (ACGT) has won a prestigious global research grant. The collaboration aims to boost agriculture productivity in SubSaharan Africa, delivering profits for farmers and driving sustainable agriculture development. ‘’Within a context of high levels of food insecurity, investment into research and development that delivers innovative solutions, is more important than ever before”
28 Gulf Agriculture | www.gulfagriculture.com
said Seelan Gobalsamy, CEO at Omnia. “The grant is a huge compliment for our business and affirms our competency within the field of agriculture as well as our commitment to relevant adaptions, all aimed at better serving the interest of our customers, country and the global supply of food”. It’s estimated that by 2050, the planet will have 3 billion more people to feed than it had in 2010, with the same amount of arable land. Doing so will require constant innovation in agricultural products. The project that won the
award is titled “Novel plantgrowth-promoting rhizobacteria for improved cultivation and nutrition of maize crops”. It aims to improve understanding of biological farming products, which support the symbiotic relationships between plants and the microorganisms within the root zone. “Omnia’s programmes sustainably enhance the productivity of farmland through new technologies,” said Omnia R&D manager Johan Huyser. “Collaborating with international universities like the University of
May-June 2020
