BASF, Brazilian Research Institution Collaborate on Biotechnology

Posted by Matt Hopkins|30 June 2011

BASF Crop Protection and Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária (EMBRAPA) signed a technical cooperation agreement to develop and bring new agriculture technologies and products to Brazilian growers, according to a press release.

The cooperation brings together the expertise and know-how of both partners in the search for untapped agricultural solutions in the areas of biotechnology, genetic improvement, soil fertility and mechanization, plant protection, and physiology. The agreement is valid for five years with no limit on the number of projects to be explored, according to the release.

“We believe that the development of new technologies of this scale is only possible through partnerships such as this one, which enhances the exchange of knowledge between two key agricultural partners in Brazil,” says Markus Heldt, president BASF Crop Protection in a prepared statement. “The scope of this initial project and the benefited crop was selected according to its relevance to Brazilian agriculture. The objective is to ensure the solutions we bring are relevant and needed.”

The cooperation has already resulted in projects that are currently in the development stage. The initial project evaluates the feasibility of using a bacterium to enhance nitrogen fixation for sugar cane plantations, according to the release.