BASF believes Asia is as an important continent for the development of biotechnology Photo: BASF

BASF Plant Science and the National Institute of Biological Sciences (NIBS), China, have agreed to a co-operation and licensing agreement in biotechnology to conduct research into increasing the yield of staple crops.

The union marks the first cooperation made by BASF and the People’s Republic of China.
Research will focus upon increasing yield in popular crops, including maize, soybeans and rice.

BASF has highlighted Asia as an important continent for the development of biotechnology, believing it may play a significant role in scientific development. “Asia is emerging as a key player in plant biotechnology both in research and cultivation,” Dr Hans Kast, president and CEO of BASF Plant Science, notes. “We are striving to intensify partnerships in this dynamic region.”
 
The union follows a previous cooperation agreement in October 2007 between BASF and the South Korean Crop Functional Genomics Centre (CFGC). Asia is currently considered to hold greater biotechnological potential than Europe, which is losing competitiveness due to “slow and contradictory political decisions,” Dr Kast notes.

Increasing staple crop yields has become a key target for agriculture. In China, rising standards of living have resulted in meat consumption increasing by 300% over the past 20 years, with a correlating demand for animal feed. Other factors, such as urbanisation, have also affected the industry, reducing the amount of arable land available for farming.

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Professor Deng Xing Wang, plant biologist and co-director at NIBS, voiced optimism at the benefits for both companies from the union. “NIBS was established to advance the frontier of basic research in life sciences in China,” he says. “Our efforts in this area have lead to groundbreaking results in a little more than four years. Discoveries in yield increase will help meet booming worldwide demand for food and feed.”

NIBS is currently identifying a family of genes that have been shown to increase crop yield. Under the established agreement, the company will further analyse the detailed functions of the genes, with the aim of incorporating these into BASF’s strong yield R&D pipeline.

Under the agreement, BASF retains exclusive rights to develop and commercialise crops with the discovered genes outside China, whilst NIBS retains the right to market crops within the country.

Financial details of the agreement have not been disclosed.
By Rebecca Debens

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