DuPont Pioneer has scaled up its efforts to bring technological innovation to agriculture in Africa by acquiring a majority stake in Pannar Seed, a South Africa-based seed company with operations throughout Africa and in other parts of the world.
The companies hope the partnership will increase the pace and scope of research and innovation in the African seed industry, giving farmers on the continent more product and better products.
DuPont Pioneer President Paul Schickler said the partnership represents growth opportunities for both businesses and for the productivity of small-scale and commercial farmers.
As a result of the deal, Pannar receives access to the Pioneer genetics library and its maize breeding and biotechnology capabilities. Pioneer will tap into Pannar’s expertise and reach across Africa, and its maize genetics developed specifically for the region.
“This is good news for Pannar customers, for our employees and for Africa,” said Brian Corbishley, chairperson of Pannar. “This partnership will ensure long-term growth as we deliver improved products to farmers in South Africa and across the continent.”
Technology Hub to be Established for Africa Under a Unified Research Strategy
One of the key outcomes of the partnership will be the establishment of a world-class technology hub for Africa through which South Africa will become a center of innovation in seed breeding, said Schickler.
Pioneer committed to investing R62 million (South African Rand) by 2017 to establish a technology hub in South Africa to serve the region, similar to the research hubs that Pioneer has established in Brazil, India and China. The Africa technology hub will comprise a network of research facilities and testing locations in South Africa and around the continent in which Delmas, South Africa, will serve as a technology center of the network. The network will be infused with leading R&D technologies which shorten breeding cycles and improve accuracy toward breeding targets, such as doubled haploids, ear photometry and the proprietary Pioneer Accelerated Yield Technology or AYT™ System, as well as genetic breeding technologies like marker-assisted selection.
“A critical benefit of this partnership will be the newly energized product pipelines for Pioneer and Pannar that will flow from combining the companies' complementary germplasm pools and leveraging the expanded research infrastructure and network under a unified research strategy,” said Schickler.
The technology hub will incorporate key Pioneer and Pannar research and testing locations, combined germplasm – or plant genetic resource collections – talent and experience to improve cultivar breeding and development for Africa. Data sharing and analysis will be elevated to a new level as the Africa technology hub is connected to the Pioneer global R&D network. Research efforts will support all crops for which Pioneer and Pannar currently maintain breeding programs, including maize, sunflower, grain sorghum, forage sorghum, wheat, dry beans and soybeans.
“Pannar has long been known as leader in plant breeding in Africa, boasting a rigorous multi-location research trial program,” said Corbishley. “Applying the advanced breeding technologies and data-sharing infrastructure of Pioneer to our breeding programs will greatly strengthen the capacity of both brands to continue to meet farmers’ demands for high yielding varieties that offer improved disease resistance, drought tolerance and the ability to withstand varying degrees of insect pressure.”
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