The SeedGrowth Centre has the potential to help farmers in the region to not only secure, but significantly increase their yields in key crops
 
Bayer South Africa has opened its first multi-million rand SeedGrowth Centre, the first of its kind for the company in Africa, at its Production Facility in Nigel outside Johannesburg. The opening of the centre is a reconfirmation of Bayer’s commitment to the agricultural sector in the region and is one of only 16 other such centres in the world.
 
Bayer’s SeedGrowth Centre is set to provide a series of advantages for every player in the seed treatment value chain, including high-quality coatings, innovative products and powerful application equipment all linked to services and advice tailor-made to specific customer needs. The result: higher productivity, profitability and sustainability of farming. In addition, ongoing research will allow Bayer to provide customized solutions to seed companies as well as provide crop benefits such as improved plantability and pest/disease management to farmers.
 
Speaking at the opening, Dr Klaus Eckstein, CEO and Head of the Crop Science Division for Bayer in Southern Africa said, “We have the opportunity to provide the latest in research at a local level to support our farmers to compete globally.  We believe that through Seed Treatment we now have the tool to truly add value to the developing farmer through an innovation such as seed treatment which can comfortably increase yields by 30 % per hectare and more, specifically in the Southern African region. At Bayer, we believe that growing Seed Treatment in Africa is critical in order to support farmers to be commercially viable.”
 
The centre will be supporting the industry further by: 

• Training seed company production staff in the principals of stewardship
• Supporting Seed Companies in upscaling processes in a pilot plant environment
• Acting as a base for research in terms of optimising seed treatment technology
• Demonstrating how Bayer’s equipment works and what equipment will fit customer facilities

 “The whole is more than the sum of its individual parts. That's the secret of the added value that Bayer’s SeedGrowth Centre will offer stakeholders in the seed treatment business including breeders, seed companies, research facilities , advisors and of course farmers. By taking a holistic view of the seed treatment business, we can offer customers added value that will grow their business,” adds Eckstein.
 
“Our SeedGrowth Centre brings together significant technological, scientific and manufacturing resources to support sustainable agricultural initiatives and global product stewardship. We are excited to open a facility that not only enhances research and development efforts, but also benefits the entire agriculture community for sustainable future growth," concludes Eckstein.