November 25, 2014
New corn varieties could boost yields in Vietnam
Vietnamese corn farmers could boost yields by 50% by 2020 using new varieties, reducing import costs, Syngenta representative Peter Pickering said at a recent meeting with Vietnamese agricultural leaders.
The Swiss company introduced a programme last year to transfer corn cultivation technology to farmers in Vietnam's main corn growing areas in the northern mountainous area, the Central Highlands and the Red River Delta. The company also supplied seeds of a new hybrid variety to these areas.
Pickering said initial results were encouraging, adding that he hoped the corn varieties, which were resistant to herbicide and corn borers, would be approved by the government for commercial production.
In addition to good seeds, technical advances were necessary to increase yields, deputy minister of agriculture and rural development Le Quoc Doanh said.
Vietnam has to import nine million tonnes of corn for feed production yearly.