Bayer and Solynta Commercialization and Distribution Agreement in Kenya and India
An agreement has been reached between Bayer and Solynta to work together on the marketing and distribution of real potato seeds in the Indian and Kenyan markets. With this alliance, Bayer enters the 20 m-hectare global potato market for the first time and works with Solynta, a Dutch business that creates resilient hybrid potato cultivars.
The partnership will be focused on using Solynta’s extensive experience in potato breeding to create new, resilient potato varieties that will flourish in important potato-growing regions. Thanks to this discovery, gardeners will no longer have to plant tubers; instead, they can sow potatoes from actual seeds. The new hybrid potato types will be made available by Bayer to farmers in isolated regions of India and Kenya.
For the potato industry, there are various benefits to using actual potato seeds rather than seed tubers. True potato seeds have a longer shelf life, are easier to transport and store, and are smaller, cleaner, and disease-free. They can be bred to have extra advantageous features like disease resistance and climatic resilience, and they are available all year round.
Bayer is adding true potato seeds to its portfolio as part of its regenerative agriculture strategy, focusing on resilient and sustainable food systems.
“Seed innovation is one of our key focus areas. We expect Solynta’s true potato seeds to have a positive impact on local communities and food and nutritional security,” Frank Terhorst, Head of Strategy & Sustainability at Bayer’s Crop Science Division, mentioned.
According to Inci Dannenberg, President, of Global Vegetable Seeds, Bayer, adding true potato seeds to his company’s portfolio is a natural progression of Bayer’s team’s work to support smallholder growers and offer the latest innovations.
Peter Poortinga, CEO of Solynta, pointed out that the true potato seeds are the result of almost two decades of work on Solynta’s hybrid potato breeding technology.
“Hybrid breeding is a proven technology in many existing food crops, which allows fast development of new varieties with desirable traits, such as disease resistances. We are delighted to join forces with Bayer on the introduction and distribution of our true potato seeds,” Poortinga declared.
Solynta’s CCO, Joost van Regteren, added that his company is focused on introducing true potato seeds and conducting field and commercial trials to demonstrate their effectiveness.
“We are thrilled to partner with Bayer for the further commercial roll-out in Kenya and India,” van Regteren concluded.
