Today, Bayer reaffirmed its commitment to promoting increased worldwide consumption of fruits and vegetables with the announcement of new portfolio innovations and a business strategy for horticulture. The strategy focuses on activities that deliver tailored solutions to the farm, advance sustainable innovations on the farm and address value chain and consumer needs beyond the farm.
“Only a fraction of the global population comes close to consuming the daily recommended serving of fruits and vegetables,” said Inci Dannenberg, Head of Global Vegetable Seeds at Bayer. “In the UN’s International Year of Fruits and Vegetables, Bayer is doubling down on its approach to enabling growers and partners to address the barriers to improving fruit and vegetable consumption in order to achieve Health for All, Hunger for None.” The horticulture strategy is underpinned by Bayer’s leading genetics, crop protection and digital capabilities, which provide growers with the tools they need for smarter, on-farm decision making, and consumers with the quality and nutrition they need to promote a healthy lifestyle.
Delivering high-quality seeds and solutions to the farm
With the largest investment in research and development in the industry, Bayer is working to realize a core part of their ‘to the farm’ strategy – to provide improved innovation in genetics, crop protection and digital. “Through innovative, tailored solutions we are helping fruit and vegetable growers around the globe to produce marketable yields that meet the safety, quality and nutrition standards their customers expect,” said Kamel Beliazi, Crop Strategy Lead of Fruits and Vegetables at Bayer. “This is a core part of our business strategy in Horticulture.”
The result of this R&D investment is seen in Bayer’s recent portfolio innovations around the world. Vynyty Citrus® is an innovative device – a container with an active liquid inside – that does not generate resistance or residues in harvests or in the environment. It is the first such biological product on the market that is formulated with pheromones and natural pyrethrum to control pests in citrus fruits. The product is currently being used in Spain and will soon be available to growers of citrus and other crops in other Mediterranean countries.
Within Vegetable Seeds, Bayer is continuing to invest in ensuring its pipeline reflects not just the changing needs of growers and the value chain but of diverse consumers. The company is leveraging predicative consumer liking models and sensory insights from around the world at every stage of its pipeline development to deliver ground-breaking flavor while maintaining critical agronomic traits that are essential to a healthy harvest.
