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## Rice 

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## A step change in rice 

From transplanting to harvesting, my crop stays in better condition than it did with the conventional methods I used before. Muttineni Veeraiah Rice grower Andhrapradesh, India More online www.syngenta.com/ar2011 

• •  Integrated Solutions Seeds Crop Protection 

Rice is a staple food, eaten every day by almost half the world’s population. 

One fifth of the world’s population – more than a billion people – depend on rice cultivation for their livelihoods. Productivity is a critical issue as the current pace of yield increase is not sufficient to meet forecast demand. The scope for improvement is considerable: China is achieving more than seven tons per hectare while India and Thailand average only around three. But growers face severe challenges from pests, water scarcity and rising labor costs as rural workers migrate to urban centers. 

Syngenta has a strong and growing presence in Asia, where 90 percent of rice is grown. The breadth of our crop protection portfolio – including APIRO ®  MX, SOFIT ® , ARMURE ® , FILIA ® , AMISTAR TOP ® , PLENUM ®  and CRUISER ®  – means we are well equipped to address the multiple pests that challenge growers of the region’s most important crop. 

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A further addition to the range is VIRTAKO ® , a member of the DURIVO ®  family. VIRTAKO ® invigorates young transplanted plants and offers a new mode of action against stem borers, leaf folders and hoppers. In China, where overuse of chemicals is a particular issue, we have shown that a combination of VIRTAKO ® , ARMURE ®  and PLENUM ®  can halve the number of applications needed and increase grower revenue by up to US$ 300 per hectare. 

## Transforming rice production 

There are over 200 million smallholders growing rice in Asia. Addressing the productivity challenge means finding solutions that work for these growers. 

TEGRA ™ , launched in 2010, is such a solution and represents a step change in the way rice is grown. This integrated program begins with high-quality seeds, treated with Syngenta seed care and grown in trays with a special growing media to ensure the growth of uniform, high- quality seedlings. The trays are taken to the field and mechanically transplanted, and growers then follow a crop protocol tailored to their needs by a Syngenta agronomist to maximize yield. TEGRA ™  uses water more efficiently, combats pests effectively, and is less labor intensive than conventional techniques. Trials in India have shown average increases of 30 percent in yield and US$ 270 in additional profit per hectare, resulting in a 150 percent return on investment. 

The launch of TEGRA ™  in India will be followed by other markets across Asia. We will also expand our footprint for hybrids, currently little used outside China, while developing native traits for insect control, bacterial diseases and abiotic stresses. Crop protection will remain a mainstay of our portfolio with major active ingredient launches scheduled. 

