The seed company that started in the Philippines 30 years ago is poised to conquer the tropical world with its high-yielding vegetable seeds that have many other desirable characteristics.
This is the East-West Seed company founded by Simon N. Groot of the Netherlands and Benito M. Domingo, his co-founder, from the Philippines.
Last February 4, the company showcased more than 200 commercial varieties as well as those that are being developed for various markets in the tropical world. This was at the International Field Day held at the Simon N. Groot Research Center in Sansai, Chiang Mai, Thailand. Growers and various stakeholders from 25 countries attended the field day.
Many may not realize it but good seeds could have very big impact on the livelihood of farmers in the tropical developing countries. The impact could be greater than the donations of cash from well-meaning donor countries because the production of high quality seeds is sustained by the plant breeders of various seed companies. And these are responsible for the increased incomes of farmers, traders and processors. They also benefit the consumers.
The many outstanding hybrids that were showcased at the field day are too many to mention in a limited space. But let me mention some of them. The rest will be featured also in this page as well as in our writings in the other publications of the Manila Bulletin, including the vernacular magazines.
First to impress us was the good job that Karina van Leeuwen is doing as crop breeding manager for the East-West Seed Group. She was posted for several years in the Philippines and was responsible for developing the front-running D-Max tomato variety that is making many Filipino farmers rich. At the field day, she also showed us the Millennium variety of salad tomato (beef is another term for this), the first to be released for commercial planting under the beef tomato breeding program of the company.
The Millennium is an indeterminate variety that can grow up to 10 feet under greenhouse conditions. One plant can yield 10 to 12 clusters of four fruits, each cluster weighing about a kilo. This is a high-value tomato that could fetch as much as P70 per fruit in upscale supermarkets in Metro Manila, according to Dr. Mary Ann P. Sayoc, East-West’s general manager in the Philippines.
Another that impressed us so much were the finger peppers that the plant breeders are developing for various markets. One is being intended for the Philippines that will most likely replace the Django which has been a long-time money-maker for a lot of local farmers.
Tentatively named Batur, according to Nongluck Milerue, a lady pepper breeder, this new variety is in a number of ways better than Django. The fruits are a bit big bigger, the plant is more prolific, and it is also more resistant to bacterial wilt.
Another variety is being developed for India which is also very prolific and the color of the fruit is darker green than the one for the Philippines. The Indian consumers, we were told, prefer the very green color of the fruit that also has to be very pungent. Other varieties are also being bred for China and many other places.
We were particularly impressed by the way they are culturing the eggplants and peppers in the field demonstration. The plants are made to develop single trunks and are staked so they grow upright. The lower leaves are pruned so that there is free flow of air at the bottom of the plantation. The fruits also become very visible.
Waxy corn for the green corn market is also a subject of serious development. A number of varieties, mostly white or bicolor, were showcased at the field day. The visitors who tasted the same, including us, really liked the soft waxy kernels of the boiled ears. The waxy corn is fast becoming very popular in Thailand and the dream is to spread the same to the rest of the tropical world.
We have learned that East-West seeds have become bestsellers in a number of countries. In Sri Lanka, for instance, the longest-running squash hybrid in the Philippines, the Suprema, has also become a favorite in Sri Lanka. Rechristened Arjuna, no less than 8 tons of seeds of this squash were sold last year in Sri Lanka, according to Priyanka Nanayakkara of Best Seeds. That’s a lot of squash, if you ask us.
More in our succeeding reports.
Links:
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