BASF Enters Sugarcane Collaboration With Brazilian Research Center

Posted by Matt Hopkins|4 August 2009

German-based BASF and Brazilian research center Centro de Tecnologia Canavieira (CTC) have announced a cooperation in plant biotechnology with a focus on development of genetically modified sugarcane varieties for the Brazilian market with drought tolerance and 25% higher yields, according to
a BASF press release. The goal is to bring sugarcane varieties with yield increases of 25% to the market within about the next decade.

“This type of yield increase would mean that the average quantity of sugarcane harvested could rise from 80 to 100 tons per hectare,” said Marc Ehrhardt, Group Vice President, BASF Plant Science. “We are proud to cooperate with CTC, one of the world’s leaders in improving sugarcane production through conventional breeding as well as biotechnology. The cooperation is another example of BASF’s plant biotechnology strategy by which we aim to increase efficiency in farming by bringing BASF’s superior genes to farmers around the world in cooperation with the best partners.”

The yield increase that the partners are targeting will create significant additional value that will be shared among sugarcane, ethanol and energy producers, as well as CTC and BASF. The agreement also provides the possibility for both companies to evaluate the development of sugarcane varieties with herbicide-tolerant characteristics in the future. BASF provides plant biotech knowledge as well as its most promising genes, and CTC, in turn, brings its broad expertise in sugarcane and adds selected genes to its most promising sugarcane varieties. CTC is the largest and leading sugarcane research center in Brazil with 40 years of history and 15 years dedicated to biotechnology.

”We entered this cooperation because we are strongly committed to the continuous development in technologies for increasing yield and to reduce production costs in sugarcane,” said Nilson Zaramella Boeta, CEO of Sao Paolo-based CTC. “The great leap in sugarcane quality and productivity that CTC and BASF start working on today will certainly support Brazil’s position as the leading global player in sugar, ethanol and energy,” he added.