Global agricultural technology company Syngenta has initiated the “Climate Smart Project” along with its value chain partners in Haryana and Punjab to tackle climate change challenges that have led to fluctuations in rice production, the company’s global CEO Jeff Rowe has said.
The company has set a target of enabling regenerative agricultural practices across 50 million hectares by 2030. It is committed to innovations and will continue to bring these in crop protection, biological and seeds to help Indian agriculture get more sustainable and profitable, Rowe said in an email interaction with businessline.
Stating that Syngenta works with farmers across the globe to adapt and mitigate the challenges of climate change, he said under the “Climate Smart Project” soil health analysis is undertaken to regulate the use of fertilizers.
Success story
“For example, urea accounts for 82 per cent of the nitrogen source influencing greenhouse gas emissions, so we train growers on soil health. Crop residue management is also carried out to reduce burning. Every year, paddy farmers in Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh burn 23 million tonnes of crop residue,” the Syngenta global CEO said.
One of Syngenta’s success stories has been in India through its Climate Smart Agriculture programme for basmati rice. “This programme offers soil health analysis, crop residue and water management, stewardship, and tools to measure carbon sequestration. It has already reached 700 growers across nearly 14,000 hectares,” he said.
The company’s “SoilCare Program” is supporting Indian farmers by providing personalised soil reports and recommendations on better soil management. Participating farmers understand how to optimise their fertilizer application and receive training in best practices like crop rotation, Rowe said.
The programme has benefited 5,425 farmers so far covering 10,525 acres across 133 villages in northern India. “Farmers have reduced their costs by 15 per cent and increased yields by 10 per cent. We have undertaken this initiative with our NGO partner ISAP India Foundation, an organisation committed to advancing ag-based livelihoods and the economic empowerment of rural communities,” he said.
‘Exploring innovative solutions’
On its efforts to compete with its competitors who have launched direct seeded rice and zero tillage in wheat, the company’s global CEO said his company recognises the importance of sustainable agricultural practices that can enhance productivity while minimising environmental impact. “Our teams are continuously exploring innovative solutions and best management practices across various cultivation methods, and we are aware of the potential advantages of direct seeded rice and zero tillage wheat systems,” he said.
Syngenta is accelerating its product pipeline leveraging data and AI (artificial intelligence) across the company. “Data analytics is completely transforming our R&D efforts in genetics, chemistry and biologicals. All our research projects to find new active ingredients use machine learning models to optimise molecular design and selection across the phases of discovery, optimisation, and selection,” Rowe said.
New products
This translates into a major improvement in innovation value for farmers, including in India, from advanced breeding techniques to climate-resilient crop varieties to satellite imagery and remote sensing technologies to help treat crops.
Stating that the company continuously innovates and brings new products to Indian farmers across crop protection, seeds and digital solutions portfolios, he said some of them include introducing advanced input technologies, such as its broad-spectrum insecticide PLINAZOLIN and high-yielding hybrid rice varieties to “enhance crop productivity and resilience”.
“We are also leveraging digital technologies in India through solutions like our Cropwise Grower App, currently connecting 1.7 million registered farmers with crop advisors delivering recommendations on crop management to enable farmers to make informed decisions and optimise their yields,” said the Syngenta Global CEO.
Crop Doctor service
Its digital initiatives such as the CropWise Grower App and the Crop Doctor Service are helping farmers detect pest and diseases on their crops sooner and take remedial actions faster, ensuring the crop is not extensively damaged.
The company’s Crop Doctor Service offers immediate pest and disease identification to 1,50,000 farmers free of charge, he said, adding Syngenta has launched two crop protection technologies in India — PLINAZOLIN® and ADEPIDYN® technology.
PLINAZOLIN is an insecticide which is effective on a broad variety of crops, while ADEPIDYN is a fungicide that needs very few applications and extends the shelf-life of fruits and vegetables. It also protects the wheat crop against fungus fusarium, he said.
“We also introduced SapRaiseTM (April 2024),aiming to set new standards for seedling quality and agricultural innovation as a model initiative for Maharashtra,” Rowe said.
SapRaiseTM, a pioneering smart seedling solution, promises to bring about transformative change in the agricultural sector in Maharashtra and create a high-tech resource of quality vegetable seedlings for the farmers of Nashik and Pune, he said.
Drone technology
Syngenta was the first to adopt drone technology and it is training farmers in drone spraying. It is providing a drone spray service from growers in partnership with IoTech, a drone manufacturer and seller.
On regenerative agriculture, Rowe said Syngenta is supporting the adoption of regenerative agriculture practices to help farmers improve productivity, soil health, bio-diversity and mitigate climate change impact.
Rowe, who was in India last week after assuming charge as the global CEO, said he would be exploring how Syngenta could further leverage its expertise in areas such as digital agriculture, precision farming, and drone technology to help Indian farmers grow more “productively and to do so sustainably”.