DuPont Partners with Indonesian Center for Rice Research to Advance Hybrid Rice

"We are pleased to collaborate with the world-class public rice breeding program at the ICRR to help meet the increasing demand for rice," said William S. Niebur, vice president -- DuPont Crop Genetics Research and Development.

17/03/09 DuPont and the Indonesian Center for Rice Research (ICRR) announced an agreement that grants DuPont business Pioneer Hi-Bred access to test and commercialize ICRR rice hybrids in Asia. Rice is the most important staple food for more than half of the world's population. The growing population in Asia is driving pressure to improve rice yields to meet the increasing demand for food.

The agreement grants Pioneer access to several ICRR inbreds and hybrids for evaluation and testing, and the exclusive right to commercialize any new selected hybrids. ICRR will be paid a royalty to support their research and development efforts for any hybrids Pioneer commercializes. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

"We are pleased to collaborate with the world-class public rice breeding program at the ICRR to help meet the increasing demand for rice," said William S. Niebur, vice president -- DuPont Crop Genetics Research and Development. "This partnership will help leverage our expertise as the leader in advanced plant genetics breeding and development to improve nutrition, standards of living and overall agricultural productivity."

"It is the government's aim to increase national rice productivity through many strategies, including partnering with private institutions in research and development of hybrid rice," said Hasil Sembiring, director -- Indonesian Center for Rice Research.

"We are only just beginning to realize the enormous potential that public-private partnerships offer toward increasing global agricultural productivity," Niebur said.

This partnership complements a collaboration DuPont announced earlier this month with the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) to increase the rate of yield gains and to boost the quality and diversity of hybrid rice. The results of that work will contribute to making better advanced breeding lines and hybrids available to rice breeders and farmers in Asia.

The Indonesian Center for Rice Research is an institution under the Indonesian Agency for Agricultural Research and Development (IAARD) with the main mandate to conduct rice research. ICRR is a leading customer-oriented research institute and the center of excellence for rice science and technology.

Pioneer Hi-Bred, a DuPont business, is the world's leading source of customized solutions for farmers, livestock producers and grain and oilseed processors. With headquarters in Des Moines, Iowa, Pioneer provides access to advanced plant genetics in nearly 70 countries.