Barry Germishuys Key Account Manager Seed Enhancements & Clearfield Strategy 1 Biggest Job on Earth 2 Farmer challenges today Legislative & regulatory Consumer attitudes Business in nature Global markets Resources Maximize the yield 3 How to maximize the yield? Productivity (t/ha) Farm management Weed & Disease Management Planting P P P P Soil preparation Reduced Tillage Environment Deep Tillage Integrated Farm Management Solution for the highest yields requires Partnerships 4 Partnership Seed Companies Farmer Distributors Further input providers In a complex environment partnerships should focus on the most important crops 5 When is a crop important for Africa? Today let„s look at two of them that are not yet always the focus in Africa, but have great potential For Example  Many ha‘s grown - job creation  Income for smallholders - improvement of living conditions What else makes a crop important  Reduction of imports – better household balances  Cash crop to export - Access to hard currency Which crops come to your mind? Which crops come to your mind? Groundnut - a key crop in Africa Trend an importance North America ~ 4,7 mt/ha Latin America Asia ~ 2,3 mt/ha  Production growth > 10% in the last years  Productivity remains on low level  Importance source for income – cash crop for smallholders to improve living Reasons for productivity gap Africa < 1,0 mt/ha  Abiotic stress: temperature, droughts, soil fertility and nutrient deficiencies  Access to basic technology *FAOSTAT 2008-2012 Groundnut - a key crop in Africa Selected Groundnut growing countries kg/ha 2,000  Especially in Southern Africa the area for groundnuts is growing Cameroon 1,500 Ghana 1,000 Trend an importance  Yields are especially low in these areas Nigeria Tanzania Zambia 500  Smallholder farmers need access to know-how and technology to improve yields Sudan Zimbabwe Mozambique 0 0,0 0,5 1,0 1,5 2,0 2,5 Stable area Growing area mio. ha’s 2012 *FAOSTAT 2008-2012 Soybean- a key crop in Africa 2011 close to bn USD 6 was imported Importance  Soybean is a very beneficial crop  36% protein, 30% carbohydrates  dietary fiber, vitamins, and minerals  20% oil for edible oil  In contrast to groundnuts, soybeans are cultivated to a larger extend by professional growers  Productivity is on the level of Asia with still a high yield gap to Latin America or North America  Increasing demand by larger population and growth of the poultry industry fuel demand for soybeans *FAOSTAT Soybean – key crop in Africa Selected Soybean growing countries Relative yield  Especially in Southern Africa the area for soybeans is growing HIGH  Improvement potential for productivity especially in Nigeria where the share of commercial farms with access to latest technology is limited Zambia MED Zimbabwe South Africa Reasons for productivity gap  Abiotic stress and Biotic  Access to advanced innovative technology that including customized varieties Nigeria LOW 0,0 Trend an importance 0,5 mio. ha’s 2012 1,0 Stable area Growing area *FAOSTAT 2008-2012 11 AgCelence® Physiological Effects Behind AgCelence AgCelence®  3 Pillars concept explains how to maximize yield potential & manage risk 12 Best Farm Management Requires Best Inputs Seed + Inoculants 13 Inoculants: The legume/Rhizobium association  Rhizobium are natural, non-spore forming, soil bacteria, that associate with the roots of legumes to form root nodules.  Rhizobium Bacteria fix atmospheric nitrogen (N2) in the root nodules and deliver nitrogen (NH4) to the host plant → Symbiosis Specific Rhizobium & specific host plant Microscopic view of Bradyrhizobium japonicum ( x 60.000 ) 14 Nodule Morphologies vary between species Peanut /Groundnut Soybean 15 Not All Rhizobia are Equal! Soybean nodule sections Effective Less Effective In- Effective Native rhizobium are frequently less productive :  Numbers of Bacteria per g. of soil are low due to competition with other micro-organisms in the pedosphere  Not located exactly where the seed drops into the soil  The « survival of the fittest » environment does not select the best N-producers within a symbiosis, but the best survivors in a hostile, nonsymbiotic environment Inoculants: The legume/Rhizobium association Criteria for succesful N-Fixation  Efficient Rhizobium strain → global selection  Optimum carrier substrate for the Bacteria → selected peat  Inoculant on sterile carrier : → high Bacteria concentration / seed → long shelf-life Active soybean nodule  State-of-the-art fabrication and permanent quality controls (deriving from scientific Know-how & good laboratory practice)  Correct storage & application – Inoculant is live material ! 17  Reliable and robust Peat Based Soybean Inoculant High strength protection Better option for difficult conditions 18 We developed and patented a highly specialized liquid packaging system which keeps rhizobia in the best possible shipping environment prior to use. Over bag • High Strength, durable LDPE liner to protect the inner contents Inner Pack • Aseptically filled with high levels of rhizobium culture • Hi-Tech patented breathable sachet to keep rhizobium in ideal conditions. • Re-sealable from left to right: Harald Rang, Gustavo Palerosi-Carneiro, Jana Wacker, Jürgen Oldeweme, Markus Heldt, Reiner Emrich, Eduardo Leduc, Peter Michael Gress, 2 Kristina Winzen, Vincent Gros, Raman Ramachandran, Birgit Schneider, Nevin McDougall (not in the picture: Jürgen Huff) Ability to breath O & Transpiration of CO2 19 19 Field trial - South Africa HiStick® Soybean Alternative solution 20 Field trial - Southern Africa Alternative solution 2x rate HiStick® Soybean 21 Soybean Trial – Zambia (Lilayi Farm), 2012 Yield (t/ha) 4.3 4.2 4.1 4 400 kg 3.9 3.8 3.7 3.6 HiStick® Soybean Alternative solution Groundnut Trial in South-Africa Non-inoculated Non-inoculated Inoculated (BASF) Inoculated (BASF) Effect of inoculation 23 Global Presence of our Inoculants Canada - 25 years France – 24 years USA - 23 years Ukraine – 6 years Brazil – 13 years Zambia – 5 years Argentina - 13 years South Africa – 4 years Paraguay – 11 years Inside the facilities “Fermenter train” from 10lt to 100lt to 5,000lt up to 75,000lt 25 26 Thanks for your attention Q A 27