October 2013 • Volume 19 • Issue 1
Agriculture
Biotechnology
and Biosafety
For internal circulation only
Editorial
For decades plant researchers have been using breeding techniques
to modify crops to improve quality & yield. Modern biotechnology
allows plant breeders to select genes that produce beneficial traits
& move them from one organism to another. Plant biotechnology is
far more precise & selective than cross breeding in producing desired
agronomic traits. Plant biotechnology has been adopted by farmers
and seed industry worldwide at a pace never before seen by any other
advances in the history of agriculture. There has been significant
jump in the cultivation of biotech crops by farmers in the recent past;
reason being plant biotechnology delivers significant and tangible
benefits. Plant biotech has enabled improved farming techniques and
crop production around the world by increasing plants’ resistance
to disease & pests, reducing pesticide application, maintaining &
improving crop yields.
Th
CHANGE is one constant we can count on in today’s business which
we must adapt or else face obsolescence. Yet certain challenges
never seem to go away: the quest for strong leadership or the ability
to innovate successfully. LEADERS set direction and clear a path so
that their team can keep moving forward. In a world that is growing
ever more interconnected, complex and unpredictable because of
global economic, political and environmental turbulence, managers
can be stymied in their efforts-unless they have the analytical means,
creativity and leadership skills to forge a new way.
e
Ad
ta Global
van
Fa
m
ily
Advanta has been investing in use of latest biotech tools to offer
superior products to its customers. Such initiatives reinforce the
company’s focus on customer needs. This issue provides insights into
the significance of agriculture biotechnology & bio safety apart from
the snapshots of the happenings within the organization worldwide.
India133
PM Nanjappa
Editorial Team
USA54
Thailand206
Australia105
Argentina157
International63
Total718
Contents
Cover Story
Submit your ideas, comments and articles for the next issue to:
News & Events
Passorn Kullawong (HR Manager, Thailand) ps@pacthai.co.th
Susana Benedetti (HR Manager, Argentina) susana.benedetti@advantasemillas.com.ar
Katrina Newsham (HR Manager, Australia) katrina.newsham@pacseeds.com.au
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Voices
6
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Ruben Dicun (Head – Business Development, USA) ruben.dicun@advantaus.com
R Rama Murthy (HR Manager, India) ramamurthy.r@advantaindia.com
Padma (HR Assistant Manager, India) padma.mandula@advantaseeds.com
Editorial Team
PM Nanjappa, Sunil Kulkarni, V Satyadev,
Naveen Kumar, M Padma, R Rama Murthy
Design & Development
Wide Reach Advertising Pvt Ltd.
Welcome Aboard
25
Service Milestones
27
MD’s Message
Dear colleagues,
Season’s greetings to all of you!
Slowly but surely, we are moving towards the end of the
year. Nine months are over. The business for us has been
good in patches this year. While our Corn business has
shown an impressive growth of 76% so far followed by
Sweet Corn (29%) and Sorghum (16%), the other crops
have been flat or negative. The loss of Canola business
in Australia due to the shrinkage in the crop acreage has
had a significant impact on our numbers so far.
Among our geographies we have had excellent growth of
55% in Thailand, followed by International (33%) and USA
(16%). India has seen excellent growth in the background
of good rains. The other geographies have been lagging
behind. We are, however, positive that the last quarter will
help the other geographies to catch up with the numbers
and we will end the year on a good note. So, the fourth
quarter becomes all the more important for all of us.
Longreach has put up an impressive performance this
year. Our market share has grown and the business is
breaking even this year. Congratulations to the team! Our
branded sorghum business in US and Mexico is making
tremendous progress with unprecedented growth levels.
Congratulations to the NAFTA team!
Our Africa initiative is going on very well. The Africa team
is doing a great job of making the initial inroads into these
uncharted territories. We are currently in the process of
developing the Africa strategy for the entire UPL group.
This will be ready by the end of December and will be
rolled out in the new year.
We all are eagerly waiting for our European team to make
their commercial debut in various markets in the 4th
quarter. This will be a great boost to our global business.
Our production team is bringing out good results this year
and we have sufficient inventory of seed for the fourth
quarter of this year and the first quarter of next year. We
had a tight supply situation in the last three years and
might have lost some sales. I am glad that the sales teams
have an opportunity now to meet the full demand that is
coming from the market because of the tremendous work
being done by our supply teams around the world.
I am pleased that Claudio Torres has joined us as the
new CEO. I welcome him to the Advanta family. I am
sure with his vast experience in the global markets with
Seminis and Monsanto, Claudio will lead the team to
higher performances and the company will reach greater
heights under his stewardship.
We have made a lot of progress. We need to make more.
A company does not mean offices, computers and paper.
A company means people. It is the people who make
things happen. It is the people who make this a great
place. Please contribute your mite in the process of
building Advanta into a great company.
All the best!
VR Kaundinya
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Cover Story
Agriculture
Biotechnology and Biosafety
I
n general, we use biotech products
in our daily life – food products
like bread, beer, cheese, alcohol,
curds, etc; pharmaceutical products
like vaccines, antibiotics, vaccines
(especially Hepatitis-B vaccine (HBsAg
vaccine)), human insulin, erythropoietin,
streptokinase, epidermal growth factor
(EGF), granulocyte colony stimulating
factor (G-CSF), granulocyte macrophage
colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF), etc;
enzymes in several product preparations
ranging from food items to domestic
cleaning products. Some of these
products are produced using classical
or simple biotechnology tools like
selection and fermentation and some
with advanced biochemical tools like
transferring genes across the species for
specific products.
At present, it is broadly agreed that
biotechnology has two streams,
i.e., Traditional Biotechnology &
Modern Biotechnology. Modern
biotechnology has defined by
several countries and international
organizations, as they opined
the best. In simple terms, modern
biotechnology can be defined as ‘any
technological application that uses
biochemical tools, living organisms, or
derivatives thereof, to make or modify
products or processes for specific
uses’. In the area of agriculture, some
of the modern biotechnology tools that
are available to scientists to develop
new products are; plant tissue culture;
molecular breeding; marker assisted
selection
(MAS);
embryo
rescue
technology; double haploid technology;
genetic modification (transformation
of plant cells with genes; induction of
mutations; wide crosses, etc).
Conventional plant breeding to create
genetic variability and select for
desirable genetic combinations has been
traditionally used to develop superior
genotypes with higher yield, better
tolerance to various biotic and abiotic
stresses, and enhancing the nutritional
quality in crop plants. However, one can
transfer a gene(s) into a desired genetic
background only if the gene(s) for trait of
interest is present in the genome of the
same species or in some cases related
species. Transgenic approach allows
incorporation of the gene for the trait of
interest from any genomic background
and is used for crop improvement when
no other alternative is feasible.
New varieties or hybrids, produced
using these tools does not attract any
regulations other than on “seed” from
the governments. However, the plants
developed by using transformation of
plant cells with genes which are referred
as Genetically Modified Organisms
(GMOs) do attract biosafety rules before
they are released into the environment.
Genetically Modified Organism (GMO)
refers to a plant or other organism
containing one or more introduced
genes which expresses a unique trait or
characteristic that enhances the overall
value of the plant or organism or products
made from that plant or organism. GM
crops are also referred to as biotech or
transgenic crops. A transgenic plant
contains a gene or genes of a different
species which have been artificially
introduced. Artificial introduction of
gene or genes in to the plant cells can
be achieved by two methods: those are
Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated
transformation method and biolistic
(gene gun) method.
4
As stated above, government regulations
attract on developing and release of
transgenic crops for general use and these
are referred as biosafety regulations.
Biosafety regulations can be defined as a
‘set of rules, regulations and guidelines
from the government(s) to assess the
safety of the transgenic crops to human
& animal health and environment from
the possible adverse effects of transgenic
crops’. Assessment made under these
set of rules, regulations and guidelines is
stated as biosafety assessment.
Biosafety refers to protecting the
environment including human and
animal health from the possible
adverse effects of the genetically
modified organisms (GMOs) and
the products derived from the use
of modern biotechnology. Biosafety
also refers to promoting safe laboratory
practices, procedures, proper use of
containment equipment and facilities,
risk assessment and risk management,
evaluation of GMOs, etc. Initially the
concerns were focused on safety
procedures for recombinant DNA work
within the laboratory. The emphasis
was on ensuring that researchers were
taking proper steps to contain organisms
that possibly posed risks to themselves
or human health generally. However,
this narrow definition of biosafety began
to change as r-DNA technology began to
produce organisms that were useful as
commercial products. Risks emanating
from r-DNA technology can be broadly
classified into risks for animal and
human health; risks for environment
and risks for biodiversity.
Various bio-safety studies are needed
to be conducted to ascertain the safety
Schematic Diagram of
Producing Transgenic Plant
organizations like WHO, FAO, CODEX,
OECD etc have developed guidance
documents on various aspects of
transgenic crops. Transgenic crop was
first introduced in 1996. The year 2012
marked an unprecedented 100-fold
increase in biotech crop hectarage from
1.7 million hectares in 1996 to 170 million
hectares in 2012 – this makes biotech
crops the fastest adopted crop technology
in recent history.
While
28
countries
planted
commercialized biotech crops in 2012,
an additional 31 countries totaling 59
have granted regulatory approvals for
biotech crops for import, food and feed
use and for release into the environment
since 1996. A total of 2,497 regulatory
approvals involving 25 GM crops and
319 GM events have been issued by
competent authorities in 59 countries,
of which 1,129 are for food use (direct
use or processing), 813 are for feed use
(direct use or processing) and 555 are for
planting or release into the environment.
of the transgenic crop to the human &
animal health and to the environment
before they are approved to be released
into the environment. All the transgenic
events are assessed on case-by-case
manner and some times, specific studies
are needed to establish the safety of the
transgenic crop.
List of common biosafety studies
enumerated
here:
Characterization
of Vector, and Donor and Recipient
organisms; Method of generation of
transgenic plants; Molecular analysis
of transgenic plants (Insertion copy
number; Border analysis); Segregation
studies in transgenic plants; Gene
expression and stability in transgenic
plants; Characterization of transgenic
plants; Proximate analysis; Persistence
studies; Pollen flow studies; Crossability
studies; Impact of transgenic plants
on soil micro-flora & fauna; Protein
characterization
studies
including
toxicity and allergenicity studies; Toxicity
and feeding studies in small and large
animals; agronomic advantage; socioeconomic considerations etc. Information
generated through these studies would
be considered by the regulatory agencies
while approving the transgenic crop for
general use.
Biosafety rules & regulations are enacted
by several countries. Each country has
its own regulations. As each country is
a sovereign country, it has right to enact
regulations of their own. However, there is
an international biosafety protocol in the
name of “Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety
to the convention of Biological Diversity”.
This Protocol apply to the transboundary
movement, transit, handling and use of
all LMOs that may have adverse effects
on the conservation and sustainable
use of biological diversity, taking also
into account risks to human health. This
protocol was adopted by the Conference
of the Parties to the Convention on 29
January 2000.
The Protocol entered into force on
11 September 2003. International
Of the 59 countries with regulatory
approvals, USA has the most number
of events approved (196), followed
by Japan (182), Canada (131), Mexico
(122), Australia (92), South Korea (86),
New Zealand (81), European Union (67
including approvals that have expired or
under renewal process), Philippines (64),
Taiwan (52) and South Africa (49). Maize
has the most number of approved events
(121 events in 23 countries), followed by
cotton (48 events in 19 countries), potato
(31 events in 10 countries), canola (30
events in 12 countries) and soybean (22
events in 24 countries).
The event that has received the most
number of regulatory approvals is the
herbicide tolerant maize event NK603
(50 approvals in 22 countries + EU27), followed by the herbicide tolerant
soybean event GTS-40-3-2 (48 approvals
in 24 countries + EU-27), insect resistant
maize event MON810 (47 approvals in 22
countries + EU-27), insect resistant maize
event Bt11 (43 approvals in 20 countries
+ EU-27), insect resistant cotton event
MON531 (36 approvals in 17 countries +
EU-27) and insect resistant cotton event
MON1445 (31 approvals in 14 countries +
EU-27). Of the 28 countries which planted
biotech crops in 2012, 20 were developing
and eight were industrial countries.
Dr T Venkata Ramanaiah
(BioSafety & Regulatory Lead)
5
News and Events
Let’s Get Social:
‘I Love Sorghum’ on Social Networking
I
n 2012, we launched the ‘I Love
Sorghum’ campaign, which promotes
sorghum crop among farmers,
enhancing the benefits and loyalty
of this crop. ‘I Love Sorghum’ had its
digital platform on a website (www.
yoamoelsorgo.com.ar) that was created
to become an online space exclusively
dedicated to Sorghum, where farmers
could not only access the best information
on the crop, but also share its experiences
with other colleagues.
In 2013, we reached the second stage on
the ‘I Love Sorghum’ campaign as we got
social, taking this project online on the
main Social Networks. With profiles and
pages on Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube,
Twitter and a blog on Wordpress, ‘I
Love Sorghum’ seeks to reach a wider
audience that inhabits these digital
spaces. The main goal of our Social
Media Plan was to create an environment
for Sorghum promotion through social
interaction, knowledge and experience
exchange, sharing and debate.
We also look forward to listening
and learning from our potential and
actual clients online, and to motivate
and engage followers with our brand
generating a community of sorghum
farmers and ‘lovers’. The target audience
was not only composed of farmers and
other agricultural related professions,
but also industries, press and internal
clients. To go out on Social Networks we
created a Social Media Plan that included
a very precise Working and Use Protocol,
a Content Strategy and the definitions of
tools to improve productivity.
Our Content Strategy includes video
testimonials,
written
testimonials,
video conferences, interviews and press
coverage, news articles, technical
articles, business data, infographs and
photo albums; all around main topics
such as National and International
Market Information, Crop Management,
6
Innovations, Farmers Experience, News
and E-Learning.
With an everyday growing followers
account, we are reaching farmers not
only in Argentina, but also in other
countries of South America such as
Paraguay, Uruguay and Bolivia. In
August, we launched the English version
of the campaign on Facebook, LinkedIn,
YouTube and Wordpress. You are invited
to follow us and learn about this amazing
crop!
Facebook:
www.facebook.com/ilovesorghum
LinkedIn: I Love Sorghum
YouTube:
www.youtube.com/ilovesorghum
Wordpress:
www.ilovesorghum.wordpress.com
Argentina
Organizational Environment
Survey - Argentina and Brazil
In June-July we carried out in Argentina and Brazil an internal employee
satisfaction survey, responded by 123 employees in all locations (representing
80% participation). Employees were asked to evaluate topics like motivational
factors, training, personal expectations, teamwork and cooperation,
relationship with others, compensations and benefits, company values, etc.
Argentina
The most positive results were related to:
• Career path within the company
• Clarity on job responsibilities assigned
CSR: Advanta Semillas
with ‘Techo - Un Techo
Para Mi País’
On 14-15 September, a group of Advanta
Semillas employees travelled with their
families to Rosario to cooperate with the
NGO ‘Techo - Un Techopara Mi País’, to
build emergency houses in the Esperanza
neighborhood (known as ‘Los Pumitas’)
for families in need. Of the 13 houses
built, Advanta helped build two.
The volunteers found it a deeply enriching
experience, which highlighted the
importance of team work with charity.
Unmindful of the bad weather, the team
worked hard during the weekend. They
also shared with other participants and
Techo volunteers school life, games and
debates. The initiative was held under
Techo’s Corporate Volunteering Program.
• Satisfaction with the practice of company values
Improvement items identified were:
• Resources needed to carry out the job
• Training and integration plans between areas and remuneration
Main actions we are taking based on the survey are:
• Skills Development Program for all employees in all locations
• Integration Day with the participation of all areas (fair format)
• Each manager will incorporate in their KPIs at least one objective that
includes direct work with other/s areas
• Human Resources will present to all employees the way we compare
salaries against the market and reinforce the concept of total
compensation
• Birthday day free
Main Motivational Factors Argentina: Teamwork, New Challenges,
Good Working Environment, Recognition, Satisfaction for a Job
Well Done
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CSR: Job Assistance
for Students
Trabajoen
Equipo
Nuevo Sretos
Buen Ambiente
Laboral
Reconocimiento
Satisfaccion Del
Trabajo Bien Hecho
Brazil
The Survey results are being evaluated. It will be communicated in the next
issue.
Continuing our CSR program with focus
on education, the Human Resources team
conducted workshops on job placement
and job search for 4th and 5th year students
of middle-level agro-technical rural
schools and universities in the towns of
Malena and Bulnes (Province of Cordoba).
Objective was to provide them with tools
to find work and prepare them to face the
world.
7
News and Events
‘Friends Day’ Celebrations
O
n 20 July, Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay and other Latin American countries celebrated ‘Friends Day’. This is one of the most
popular celebrations in Argentina; in 2005, the number of well-wishing friends led to a temporary breakdown of the mobile
phone network in Buenos Aires, Mendoza, Córdoba and Rosario. ‘Friend s Day’ is an occasion for a friendly gathering and
greeting both current and old friends.
At Advanta Argentina, we held a special gathering with food and games. At Venado Tuerto, Job Maldonado prepared a typical delicious
barbecued food of pork sausages and bread, called ‘choripán’. After sharing the meal and some refreshing drinks, the Human
Resources department prepared some
guessing and acting games. The games
consisted of ‘guess the movie’, and the
person who guessed it was the next to
interpret the movie. Similar celebrations
were held in all other locations.
Training Program for
Skill Development
Human Resources organized a series
of training courses for all employees
in all locations (Junin, Venado Tuerto
and Balcarce), which started in August
and will continue in October. In Murphy,
both modules will be held in November.
The topics developed in the first module
included: Team work, Leadership,
Delegation and Change Management.
Mid-Year Review at
Buenos Aires
On 29 July, a Mid-Year Review was held at Buenos Aires, to review the
status of the business in the Latin America Region and decide on actions
to be implemented moving forward. It was attended by Vikram Shroff, VR
Kaundinya, Manoj Gupta and Ameya Salatry.
8
Second module will consist of Time
Management, Negotiation Skills and
Effective Oral Presentations. The
selection of topics was based on the
development need identified during the
Performance Management process. The
training activities were very successful,
with high level of participation and
interaction.
Argentina
‘My Advanta Experience’
of Farmers
L
ooking to promote our products
and thereby increase our sales
and market share, we developed
in 2012 a new project called ‘My Advanta
Experience’, an initiative based on a
digital platform which promotes our
hybrids through real experiences on
real farmer’s lands. For this project
we interviewed farmers all around
Argentina on our main crops (sunflower,
corn and sorghum), to get to know their
experiences with our hybrids. These
videos were later uploaded onto a special
website, www.miexperienciadvanta.com.
ar
real farmers apply while producing such
crops.
The ‘My Advanta Experience’ website
now contains 24 video testimonials shot
at the farmers’ lands by our staff, along
with a large number of trials performed
by farmers under the supervision of
our Development Department and the
statistics on the results of such trials.
The testimonials were shot all around
the country with advocates on sorghum,
sunflower and corn, using a unified
interview guide that included questions
about the use and management of
the crop on technical aspects, results
achieved and recommendations for other
farmers.
This is a very valuable project for our
company, which allows us not only to
promote our products, but also provides
valuable learning and gets us closer
to farmers. We plan to shoot more
testimonials, upload new sets of trials to
increase the information available, and
improve the site to make it easier and
friendlier to navigate. The ‘My Advanta
Experience’ keeps growing!
The ‘My Advanta Experience’ site contains
not only farmers’ video testimonials on
our products, but also trial results on
farmers’ lands that show the performance
of our hybrids. Our goal is to promote
our products through real advocates and
their experiences, because the use of
real farmers’ voices (most of whom are
models to follow and advisors in their
areas of influence) provides a credibility
that no advertising can achieve. To hear
from real people they could know about
the use of a product is far different from
hearing it from a company.
On the other hand, it also generates value
for viewers, as the interviewed farmers
share their experience and acquired
knowledge while managing crops, talking
about technical aspects on the use of
such hybrids. The use of trials on farmers’
lands is also a highly valuable content of
‘My Advanta Experience’, which allows
visitors to see how the hybrids perform
on real fields and with the technology
9
News and Events
Argentina
Pedro A Pardo (Sorghum Breeder)
For his research work on sugary Sorghum
hybrids to feed the sugar mills for crushing
at times of the year when there is no
sugarcane production.
Respect
Innovation
Winners of the 2013 ‘Corporate Values’ Contest
Daniel Kennedy
(IT Supervisor)
For the second consecutive year!
Congratulations
to the Graduates!
Feedback 3600 –
Latin America Management Team
D
uring June and July, we implemented a 360° feedback process for members
of the Latin America management team. The main objective of this tool
is to help managers to identify their own behaviors and actions based on
perceptions of other people with whom they interact on a daily basis. This will
allow them to focus the development actions that will more assertively impact the
business results.
Ezequiel Guerrero
(Administration, Junín) obtained
his Accounting degree at the
University of the Northwest of
Buenos Aires Province (UNNOBA)
The feedback provided is gathered through anonymous and confidential surveys
from different sources: self-assessment, direct supervisor, colleagues, direct
reports and external partners / customers. This tool will allow the manager to
clearly identify strengths and development needs identified from different sources,
not only from the direct supervisor’s perspective. The process was successfully
completed and the individual reports were shared by Human Resources with each
manager, who will incorporate in their respective KPIs two self-development
objectives that came out from this process.
Juan Pablo Raya
(Technical Service & Development)
obtained his Agronomist Degree
at the University of Mar del Plata
(UMDP)
Customers
Sebastian Rodriguez
Peers
(Operations Nutrisun) obtained
his Accounting and Business
Administration degree at the
University of Mar del Plata (UMDP)
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Boss
Reports
Indonesia
News and Events
TD Activities
in Indonesia
TD Team and Supply Team
on Crop Tour 2013
I
n August 2013, PT Advanta
Seeds Indonesia held ‘Corn Tour
2013’ as planned. Indonesian TD
and Supply Chain team members
participated. The objective of the
crop tour was to help TD Team
choose best performing hybrids by
visiting TD plots planted in different
agro ecological zones and gather
data on the hybrids. Participants
were given hybrid codes to choose
best performing hybrids as per their
opinion. Conclusion to be compared
with the end results.
The team visited Field Corn multilocation experiment of 21 hybrids
in East Java and registration trials
of 2013 Field Corn. Actually this is
the second Corn Tour, as part of
a yearly agenda by TD Indonesia
after the Sales Team stared
collaboration with PT UPI/Catur
and it has been helpful to give more
insight on product requirements for
Indonesia. SG Mutalik Desai and
Xianguang Zhang visited the TD
areas in Indonesia. They gave many
ideas and suggestions to the team
for making experiments more
precise and scientific orientated
for the coming days. The TD team
appreciated support and guidance
from the managers Mohammad
Athar and Malgatte.
Next year’s corn tour would have
participation from more stake
holders, more experiments and
in the right time of crop age.
Generally, August is the month for
right crop age and also holy festival
of ‘Ramadan’ in Indonesia. Although
a majority of team members would
be fasting, it will not diminish their
spirit to make the crop tours a great
success. ‘Goal is one for All’ and ‘All
are one for Goal’.
Standing: Xianguang Zhang, Imam Fauzi (Prod. Manager – Indonesia), Malgatte (Supply Chain
Lead – Indonesia), SG Mutalik Desai, Nurul Fajriah (Quality Manager – Indonesia), Sonny, Dayat.
Kneeling: Becik Pambudi, Dedi Yuli R (TD. Agronomist – East Java), Basuki (Prod. Agronomist –
Blitar), Supriyadi (Prod. Agronomist – Jember), Putut (Prod. Agronomist – Malang), Iwan Surya
(Prod. Agronomist – Jombang)
Corn Tour with Xianguang Zhang
and Athar
Ramadhan Dinner
Becik Pambudi
(TD Manager – Indonesia)
A family get-together and Ramadhan Dinner called ‘Halal Bihalal’ was organized during the
Ramadhan holiday in Indonesia.
11
News and Events
Bill Smith, Trevor Philp, David Loughnan, Tom Ferguson and Jason McIntosh
Ag Show Offers Clarity
for Summer Plant
T
his year’s Heritage Bank Ag Show
provided a forum for growers across
the state to clarify their agronomic
plans and discuss current issues with
cropping professionals as they finish off
winter crops and plan for summer. While
Queensland’s cropping hubs vary in terms
of climate, soils and planting windows,
the consensus was that rain and summer
feed plans were the top priorities.
Pacific Seeds territory manager Bill Smith
was on hand at the annual Toowoomba
trade show to discuss the issues facing
his growers on the central and southern
Darling Downs. “At the moment on the
Downs, the winter wheat crops are
looking for about 50 millimetres of rain
to finish strong. The rain would also pave
the way for a summer crop, as October
would be a perfect window to get
12
grain sorghum, corn and forage sorghum
going,” Smith said.
Interest in grain sorghum was particularly
high. “Grain sorghum is a popular option,
especially when it rains, because it’s a
low risk crop to grow that can provide
a solid return on investment.” Another
major talking point at the show was
the impact that the change from a wet
to dry season will have on the livestock
and dairy industries. “In the livestock
industry, we’ve had two really good wet
seasons and now we’re in a drier period,
so now is the time to start thinking
about planting quality forage which then
converts to round bale hay or silage to fill
the feed gaps,” Smith said. “From a dairy
point of view, a milking operation could
not be profitable if it had to buy in all of
its feed, so producing fodder at home is
preferable.”
Smith said he has been advising
beef producers to look for forage
sorghum with high sugar content in
the stem which adds to an animal’s
live weight, and said dairies should
focus on digestibility for increased milk
production.
Further west to Dalby and surrounds,
territory manager Tom Ferguson said
that his growers at Ag Show were also
talking about needing a downpour.
“The majority of growers in the
Dalby area were saying that 50 to 75
millimetres of rain would be welcome
to finish the winter crop off and get a
summer plant underway, and those
around Roma were saying 130 to
200 millimetres is what’s required,”
Ferguson said. In some cases, farmers
in his area have already started their
plant. “There are some irrigated
farmers starting the summer plant this
week and even some dryland guys as
well.” Ferguson said the primary focus
in western parts of Queensland was
advising his growers on which grain
sorghum and forage sorghum varieties
to grow, with the need for forage crops
becoming increasingly important as
feed levels rapidly reduce.
Moving to the southeast part of
Queensland, territory manager Jason
McIntosh said his growers were really
interested in corn, grain and forage
sorghum and biofumigant. “There
has been a lot of interest in corn and
sorghum for the southeast at the
moment, and the vegetable operations
are taking to our biofumigant products
to control their nematodes,” McIntosh
said. Weather notwithstanding, he
said it was encouraging to hear
so many growers at Ag Show talk
about new technologies and planting
options. “This year growers are really
going about cropping in new ways
and thinking outside the box. A lot
of discussion focused on precision
planting, utilising different feeding
systems and alternative tillage
methods.”
Mr. Nishimura Visits
Pacific Seeds
Each year, for the past seven years, Pacific Seeds has been visited
by the Crop Production representative from Kaneko Seeds,
Mr. Nishimura. During his visit in June, he spent time with
members from the Production, Quality Control, Finance and
Management teams to familiarise them with Kaneko Seeds and
how Pacific Seeds could best provide seed production services
to them. Pacific Seeds has been increasing some parent lines and a few
commercial lines that are sold in Japan. From this meeting it
was agreed that we would continue a relationship increasing the
amount of commercial seed. Australia is an environment that fits
well with Kaneko Seeds material, in this case silage or forage
corn.
Mr. Nishimura gave a presentation on Kaneko Seeds and its
history dating back to 1895. They grew slowly at first moving
into international sales in 1970. In 2007 they took over some of
the breeding, propagation, and sales of forage crops from the
Ghen Corporation, establishing a Miyazaki breeding station at
the same time. The company is located in Gunma, Japan, a town
three hours north of Tokyo. We look forward to many years of
cooperation between Pacific Seeds and Kaneko Seeds.
Bruce Peters
(Seed Production Manager)
One
of
Queensland’s
largest
agricultural and machinery field days,
Heritage Bank Ag Show was hosted at
the Toowoomba Showgrounds from 3-5
September.
13
News and Events
Bitter Gourd –
Nutritional
Benefits
B
itter gourd is a functional
vegetable with beneficial effects
on health. It is a popular vegetable
in some Asian countries, where the health
benefits of the plant are well-known—
particularly its ability to lower blood
glucose in diabetics. Bitter gourd has
been used to treat diabetes in traditional
medicine and is now commercially
available as tea (from fruits or leaves),
juice, extracts, and pills. Although these
products promise health benefits, most
manufacturers do not offer scientifically
proven data on the effectiveness of
bitter gourd or their products. However,
in recent years researchers worldwide
have started to focus on the antidiabetic effects of bitter gourd. The goal
is to provide safe and clear preparation
and dosage recommendations, so that
consumers realize the great benefits
of consuming fresh bitter gourd or its
products.
Bitter gourd lowers blood glucose
levels!
Bitter gourd treatments of cell cultures
or feeding trials with laboratory animals
such as mice or rats show bitter gourd
does have blood glucose lowering
properties. Bitter gourd is not like most
medicinal drugs, which are effective only
in one target organ or tissue; rather, it
influences glucose metabolism all over
the body.
Bitter gourd lowers dietary
carbohydrate digestion
The glucose metabolism starts in the
gut. Carbohydrates and sugars are
metabolized to glucose (one type of
sugar) before glucose is transported from
the gut to the blood. Bitter gourd reduces
the amount of glucose that is released
into the blood by inhibiting the enzymes
that break down disaccharides to two
monosaccharides (e.g., glucose) (Oishi
et al, 2007, Kumar Shetty et al, 2005).
Bitter gourd can influence the transport
channels for glucose, which also reduces
glucose transport into the blood (Singh
et al 2004). This effect is important for
the treatment of both Type I and Type II
diabetic patients and helps to prevent
high blood sugar levels after meals.
Bitter gourd plant insulin
discovered
The pancreas reacts to increasing blood
sugar levels by secreting insulin into the
blood. Insulin helps to transport the sugar
14
from the blood to the skeletal muscle and
the fat tissue where it is used to produce
energy. Insulin will also stop the liver to
produce sugar from glycogen storages
and to release the sugar into the blood.
Thus, insulin is necessary to lower high
blood sugar levels. In Type I diabetes,
also called insulin-dependent diabetes,
the pancreas does not produce or secrete
enough insulin to keep blood sugar levels
low. Bitter gourd has been shown to be
effective in treating Type I diabetes in
rats or mice by increasing pancreatic
insulin secretion (Yibchok-Anun et al,
2006, Fernandes et al, 2007). Additionally,
scientists found an insulin-like molecule
in bitter gourd (Khanna et al, 1981).
Although bitter gourd may reduce the
number of insulin injections required
to manage Type 1 diabetes, it cannot
replace insulin treatment completely or
heal this form of the disease.
Bitter gourd reverses insulin
resistance
Bitter gourd can play a role in the
prevention and treatment of Type II
diabetes, which is also called insulinindependent diabetes or adult onset
diabetes. This form of the disease usually
occurs in people who are overweight and
India
inactive. In Type II diabetes, the liver, skeletal muscle, and fat tissues do not respond
adequately to insulin—they are ‘insulin resistant’. Feeding trials with insulin resistant or
Type II diabetic rats and mice have shown that bitter gourd helps to prevent or reverse
insulin resistance (Nerurkar et al, 2008, Klomann et al, 2010). People with insulin
resistance or those with a high risk of developing Type II diabetes have a good chance
to prevent and treat the disease without
drugs by increasing their physical activity
and changing their diet.
Bitter gourd prevents diabetic
complications
Chronically high sugar concentrations
from Type I and Type II diabetes increase
the risk of inflammation and oxidation
in the whole body, leading to blindness,
diabetic feet, kidney disease, stroke, or
heart attack. Consuming bitter gourd can
help prevent these complications, as it
not only decreases blood sugar levels, but
also has some antioxidative properties
(Sathishsekar and Subramanian 2005,
Klomann et al, 2010).
Plant type in Bitter gourd
Matured fruit opening in Bitter gourd
Varieties of bitter gourd diffr in fruti size, color, ridging, and degree of bitterness
Nutrients in Bitter Gourd (Per 100 Gm)
Minerals
• Calcium
19 mg
• Iron
0.43 mg
• Magnesium
17 mg
• Phosphorus
31 mg
• Potassium
296 mg
• Zinc
0.8 mg
Vitamins and Fiber
• Vitamin A 471 IU
• Β Carotene
190 mcg
• Α Carotene
185 mcg
• Vitamin C
84 mg
• Folate Total
72 mcg
• Fiber Total Dietary
2.8 gm
Bitter gourd can protect the body
from other non-communicable
diseases
Being overweight is one of the most
important risk factors for diabetes and
other diseases, and Type II diabetes is
often accompanied by hypertension, high
plasma cholesterol, or high plasma lipids.
Together, these conditions increase
the risk of stroke or heart attack. For
overweight Type II diabetic patients,
bitter gourd can help to improve health.
In mice and rats, bitter gourd has been
shown to reduce hypertension (Singh et
al, 2004), plasma cholesterol (Nerurkar
et al, 2008), and plasma lipids (Nerurkar
et al, 2008). Apart from this, bitter gourd
helps weight loss. There is also evidence
that bitter gourd might be effective in
cancer treatment.
More bitter gourd does not help
more. Please be careful!
Exclusive consumption of bitter gourd,
bitter gourd juice, or other bitter
gourd products can lead to dangerous
hypoglycemia when consumed by diabetic
patients under oral drug treatment, in too
high dosages, by children, or on a hungry
stomach. Pregnant or breastfeeding
woman should not consume bitter gourd
or bitter gourd products. Although bitter
gourd can help prevent insulin resistance
or severe diabetic complications, it is
important to consider situations in which
bitter gourd may be harmful to your
health.
Bhanuranjan Swain
(Sr Breeder – Bitter Gourd)
15
News and Events
P
recision farming means higher production of crops with best utilization of available
input resources. It is a comprehensive system designed to optimize agricultural
production. It begins with crop planning and includes seed selection and sorting,
land leveling, tillage, planting, chemical application, irrigation, harvesting and post
harvest processing of the crops. A new generation farmer is using aerial and satellite
remote sensing imagery to efficiently manage the croplands. Précis measurement
of the way their fields reflect and emit energy at visible and infra red wavelengths,
precision farmers can monitor a wide range of variables that affect their crops, such as
soil moisture, surface temperature, photosynthetic activity weed and pest infestations.
Precision farming technology has the potential to provide more stringent control over
the rates of inputs applied based on the variations in landscape and soil across the fields.
The term ‘Precision farming’ means carefully tailoring the soil and crop management
to fit the different conditions found in each field. It is defined as the application of
technologies and principles to manage special and temporal variability associated with
all aspects of agricultural production.
Precision Farming in
Vegetable Crops
16
India
Major components of precision farming
include:
• Global Positioning System (GPS)
• Yield monitor to record yield at every
instance (time and area, at every
second or in few meters)
• Geographical information System
(GIS) for yield mapping
• Variable rate applicators
Site-Specific Farming (SSF) in an
emerging technology to benefit the
farmers. It is also called as precision
farming, variable rate application farming
and prescription farming, which helps the
application of inputs to a specific cropland
area based on soil type, fertility level and
other endowment of that site. The SSF
is the concept based on the ability to
repeatedly locate a position within the
field. It is a refinement of good whole
field management, where management
decisions are adjusted to suit variations
in resource conditions.
Precision Farming in India
Precision Agriculture has been mostly
confined to developed countries. Reasons
of limitations of its implementation in
developing countries like India are:
• Small land holding
• Heterogeneity of cropping systems
and market imperfections
• Lack of technical expertise,
knowledge and technology
• High cost
In India, due to land, water, technological
and marketing problems, the current
productivity of vegetables is low.
India
needs
significant
increase
in vegetable production to ensure
adequate supply of these important food
items for its burgeoning population.
Precision agriculture is one of the best
comprehensive technologies, which
needs to be practiced in vegetable crops
in order to increase productivity and
quality.
Precision farming components involved
are raised bed cultivation, protray seedling
production, crop geometry & crop stand,
polyethylene mulching, in-situ moisture
conservation, drip irrigation, fertigation,
foliar nutrition, IPM, IDM, for both open
and protected cultivation of vegetables
crops. It is necessary to adopt specific
recommendations keeping in mind the
prevailing
agro-climatic
conditions.
Among the vegetables, Tomato, Brinjal,
Capsicum, Chilli, Cucumber Watermelon,
Ridge gourd, Bitter Gourd, Bottle Gourd,
Pole bean, French bean, Okra, Yard long
bean etc can be cultivated using precision
farming technology.
CSR
Helping
Deaf
Children
On
30 September,
Advanta
donated one ‘Oto Acoustic
Emission’ equipment to Shravana
Children’s Deafness Rehabilitation
Centre, Hyderabad, a nonprofit organisation that works
for rehabilitation of children
born with deafness. It helps in
evaluating them with hearing aids
and offering vigorous speech and
language therapy.
The equipment was handed over by
Ram Kaundinya and PM Nanjappa.
The studies on tomato, okra, capsicum,
melons and brinjal has revealed that,
the adoption of precision farming leads
to about 30-40% increase in yield with
superior quality of the produce coupled
with substantial increase in use efficiency
of inputs used. Thus precision agriculture
aims to optimize field-level management
with regard to crop performance,
use of inputs, human resources and
environment. Adoption and spread of
precision farming has been largely
market-driven, but its future growth
needs collaboration between private and
public sectors in PPP mode.
The private sector has to take up the
responsibility of market development,
product credibility and client satisfaction,
whereas, the public sector needs to
coordinate the activities involved in
developing and implementing PF, by
providing support programs including
appropriate crop specific technologies to
achieve the objectives.
S Sunder Raj
(TD Head – Vegetable Crops)
17
News and Events
Top Management of Advanta Visits PacThai
Vikram R Shroff (Director) and Jai R Shroff (Chairman) visited PacThai recently. Pachok Pongpanich and Senior Management Team
took them around the new building, expanded processing plant, QA Lab and R&D station. Both Vikram and Jai appreciated the efforts
being put in by PacThai team to make it the ‘Leading Seed Company of Thailand’.
Pacific (Thai) Lucky Draw Winners
In June, at a lucky draw held at Phrae, Petchaboon and Lopburi Province, Pachok Pongpanich (Managing Director) and Yongyut
Pansung (Marketing Manager) along with the brand ambassador Khao Sai Galaxy gave away prizes to the winners. The Provincial
Governors of each Province were also honored on the occasion.
18
Thailand
Annual PacThai
Staff Meeting
The Annual PacThai Staff Meeting was held on 24–26 July at Hyatt Regency Hua Hin. Pachok Pongpanich (Managing Director) gave a
brief account of the current business situation and future, including business prospects, key factors affecting the company’s business,
future goals and employees’ welfare initiatives. Pachok presented Service Awards to nine employees, who completed 5, 10, 15, 20 and
30 years service.
Afterwards, all the staff participated in an activity at the ‘Chang-Hua-Man’ Royal Initiative Project Farm. Pachok Pongpanich donated
seeds of waxy corn (Fancy Purple 111), sweet corn and sunflower to support the project. All the staff had a trip to the farm and saw
the GAP followed in the farm. The staff also rode around on bicycles in the farm and enjoyed the day. The evening was followed by an
entertainment event organized and performed by new recruits of the year.
19
News and Events
Training Program on
‘Agronomic Principles and Practices
of Corn Crop’
A
s a strategic partner of BRAC and
LalTeer in Bangladesh market,
Advanta decided to provide
technical support to the sales staff of
two distributors. Based on that idea a
training module ‘Agronomic Principles
and Practices of Corn Crop’ was
developed with the active participation of
Dr Xianguang and Kaustubh. The training
program was attended by 45 personnel
from BRAC and 50 from LalTeer. BRAC’s
production team also participated.
BRAC training took place at their seed
processing unit Bogra on 6 September
and LalTeer training was conducted in
their R&D, Gazipur on 7 September.
We used both classroom and practice
session for the training. To assess the
effectiveness of training, pre and post
training tests were conducted.
The contents of the training included:
• Plant growth and development of corn
crop
• USP of Advanta corn
• Crop management and practices
• Corn productivity and its barriers
• Weed management and herbicide use
• Insect Pest in corn and management
• Corn diseases and management
• Abnormal happening in field situation
• Question & Answer Session
The training gave a complete picture of
corn cultivation, sales and other relative
issues, which is very important to address
effectively in the market. The participants
were very active and asked us many
questions. It indicates our training made
them interactive. They learnt many new
things; our four PDOs also took part in
the training.
As a follow up action we are providing
training handouts to them which they
will make in local language and circulate
among their sales & marketing staff. We
will also share with them the pre- and
post-test evaluation, which will help
them to see immediate improvement
of the knowledge of participants. This
training will help our channel partners understand the basic Agronomy principals and
practices, and also ensure our commitment and responsibility towards their knowledge
and skill development. All participants – including Mr Sudhir of BRAC and Dr Feroz of
LalTeer – appreciated the content and delivery of our training. We plan to conduct this
kind of training at-least once in a year.
Nurul Alam
(Business Manager – Bangladesh)
20
International
Training Program on
Silage Making
O
n 27 July, a training program
on ‘Silage Making’ was jointly
organized by Advanta and IDE, in
collaboration with Bangladesh Livestock
Research Institute (BLRI) at Bogra,
North Bengal. It was attended by 55
personnel (30 from ‘Char Input Dealers’,
19 officers from IDE, three local NGO
officials and three officials from Advanta
and BLRI). Observing the success of our
last intervention with IDE in Char areas,
IDE suggested that we conduct a silage
training program for their beneficiaries
of Char areas. The primary objective
was to ‘facilitate the capacity building
hands-on training on silage production
and demonstration of silage production
process to Char base input dealers of
northern Bangladesh’.
Advanta also took this as a market and
brand expansion opportunity and agreed
to work with IDE. The intervention was fully
financed by IDE and their donors. Based
on the objectives a training manual has
been developed with the help of scientists
from BLRI. Dr Nathu Ram Sarkar
(Project Director, Forage Development
Project) helped us in this regard, and
was also present as lead facilitator in
the training. Dr Khirul Bashar (Scientific
Officer, Forage Development, BLRI) also
facilitated the training session. The
Module was developed in local language
with pictures, so that the participants
could easily understand the method and
use the manual for reference after going
back to their respective places. Advanta’s
logo and product names were displayed
on the manual, which will be distributed
in Char areas which has good market
potential.
The training event was divided into two
parts:
• The first part was a lecture on ‘why
cultivate F1 Forage ‘Jumbo Plus’ in
Char areas, importance of Silage,
Silage types that can be made in Char
areas, how to make a good silage,
what things need to be considered
while making silage’, followed by a
question-answer session.
• The second part was a practical
session. We made the participants
participate in silage making activities
on their own. They cut the trench for
silage turn by turn so that they could
understand how to make trenches for
big / small silages. Chopping green
fodder was another interesting part.
All participants chopped fodder for the
silo, and hardened it with their feet.
All the processes were undertaken
by the participants, so that they could
remember them and in turn train the
farmers of Char areas. We are confident
our brands will spread in niche market
areas where these participants will teach
farmers in silage making technology. We
are also confident that with this training
our variety ‘Jumbo Plus’ will spread in
new unexplored areas in the coming
season.
Nurul Alam
(Business Manager – Bangladesh)
21
News and Events
Advanta Brand Corn Introduced in Mexico
A
s part of its seed growing strategy
in Mexico, Advanta launched three
commercial hybrids – Advanta
331 and Advanta 332 for Bajio region,
and Advanta 333 for Chiapas. These are
the first three corn hybrids of Advanta
in Mexico. Advanta together with United
Phosphorus Mexico (UPM) developed this
strategy to add corn hybrids to the existing
pipeline of sorghum. UPM included these
hybrids in their distribution network
across Mexico, after only one year
of intensive testing and commercial
promotion. The current hybrids focus
on the subtropical and tropical growing
areas of Mexico.
Advanta and UPM team during a field tour in Penjamo, Guanajuato, Mexico. Shan Podutturi, Rene Velazques,
Ruben Dicun, Steve Ligon, Isidro Chavez, Hipolito Rodriguez, Manish Sirohi, Jose Medina
The future plan for corn includes many
more new hybrids including temperate
corn for the states of Sinaloa and
Tamaulipas or the Pacific and Northern
regions of the country. The total hybrid
seed value market in Mexico is $ 272 M
and the total hybrid bags market is 2.1 M
of bags. The estimation of Mexican hybrid
seed market is about 27% of the total
corn market. Mexico, which harvests two
corn crops a year, produces a total of 22.4
million metric tons of the grain each year,
according to the United Nations’ Food
and Agriculture Organization (FAO). This
introduction is part of the global strategy
of Advanta to gain a position into the
tropical and subtropical corn market.
The Corn market value drivers for
Advanta are:
• Market access
• Ability to access germplasm in value
markets
• Increased yield
• Speed to market
• Seed and grain quality
Highland Subtropical - Focus 2013-15
Manish Sirohi (GM, UPM) and Jose
Medina (Product Development, UPM)
Advanta 331 Corn Hybrid
Desai Mutalik (Global TD) and Rene Velazquez
(Sales Manager, UPM)
Characteristics of Advanta Hybrids
Advanta 331
Advanta 332
Advanta 333
Grain and forage hybrid
Grain and forage hybrid
Disease tolerant
White corn
White corn / semi crystal
White corn, high quality grain
Excellent emergence vigor
Excellent emergence vigor
High yield
Excellent coverage of corncob Excellent coverage of corncob Excellent stability
Strong and vigorous stalk
Strong and vigorous stalk
Strong and vigorous stalk
Stress tolerance
Stress tolerance
Stress tolerance
Excellent stay green
Excellent stay green
Excellent stay green
Intermediate cycle
Intermediate cycle
Intermediate cycle
Flowering days: 70-75
Flowering days: 68-73
Flowering days: 54-60
Harvesting days: 178-182
Harvesting days: 175-180
Harvesting days: 148-155
Plant height: 3.0 / 3.1 mts
Plant height: 2.95 / 3.05 mts
Plant height: 2.40 mts
22
USA
Advanta US Celebrates India’s
Independence Day
Advanta US at Ag
Media Summit
Advanta US participated in the 15th Annual Ag
Media Summit at Buffalo, NY on 5-6 August.
The Ag Media Summit is the largest gathering
of crop and livestock media professionals
in the USA, with participation by the
Livestock Publications Council, the American
Agricultural Editors Association and the ABM
Agri-Council.
Promoting the Alta Seeds brand, Advanta US
was an exhibitor in the Summit’s InfoExpo trade
show. An exhibition booth at InfoExpo allowed
the Advanta US Sales team of Barry Lubbers
(Director of Sales), Tim Jacobsen (Western
Region Sales Manager) and Chris McCracken
(Eastern Region Sales Manager) to interact
with agricultural editors and media while
educating them about Alta Seeds products.
The trade show was very successful, as the
Advanta US Sales team was able to have
great meetings with 15 key editors and
representatives from nearly 20 agricultural
media outlets. These interactions are crucial
as we work to position the Alta Seeds brand
as the leading provider of premium sorghum
hybrids in the USA.
The editors who visited the Alta Seeds
trade show booth represented the following
publications:
Hoard’s
Dairyman,
Dairy
Today, High Plains Journal, Kansas Farmer,
PorkNetwork, DTN-Progressive Farmer, Beef
Producer, Beef Magazine, Western Producer,
TheCropSite.com, Beef Today, KFRM Radio,
Living the Country Life, Kentucky Cattlemen’s
Association and Mississippi Cattlemen’s
Association.
Standing (L to R): Brannon Byers, Ramesh, Shanmuka, Steve Ligon, Srini, Pablo
Ramundo, Murali, Ruben Dicun.
Sitting (L to R): Shelia Wagner, Romelia Robinson, Amanda Arend, Kelley Schlabs,
Lori Laub.
O
n 15 August, as a part of SAP Implementation we were
in Amarillo, TX, where Advanta US is located. Thanks to
Ruben Dicun and others in the US team, we got a great
opportunity to explain Indian culture to our Advantanians here. We
spoke about historical places, agriculture in India, major festivals,
different traditional dances and marriages. We explained how
India exemplifies ‘Unity in Diversity’, by being a fine mix of different
religions, languages, traditions and cultures. This beautiful
integration can be easily seen in the country’s national festivals
like Independence Day and Republic Day.
After listening to us, Pablo Ramundo said, “I am really thankful
to the SAP Team for letting us experience a piece of Indian
Independence Day and culture. The motto ‘Unity in Diversity’
explained by them as one of the pillars of India kept me thinking;
I believe it is part of the major objective we should pursue as a
global company to obtain extraordinary results”.
And Kelley Schlabs added, “I really enjoyed learning about the
Indian culture. My favorite part of the presentation was seeing
all of the pictures of the ethnic dress. The bright colors and very
intricate details on the clothing were very impressive.”
You can find the presentation we made on
http://youtube/iKPcO7xmIr8
You may also scan QR code below from your smartphone:
Srini, Shanmuka, Ramesh, Murali
(SAP Implementation Team)
Barry Lubbers (Advanta US Sales Director) and Tim
Jacobsen (Advanta US Regional Manager West Region) at
the Alta Seeds booth.
23
Voices
Australia
Indonesia
“I am very happy to join Advanta Seeds Indonesia.
I began my career here in June 2010. I previously
worked for a multinational seed company on the
production of hybrid corn and also handled the
production of sweet corn, hybrid rice for four years.
I find the people here warm and humble. Malgatte
coached me during my first year of service and
always encouraged me to do my best. Mohammad
Athar, since he came on board, always helps the
team to the true step to support marketing actions.
“I started at Pacific Seeds in 1995 as a Warehouse Storeman. My
responsibilities are warehousing parent seed, sampling seed,
fumigation, packing and receiving of seed for orders and stocktakes. I
work in a small team of two. I like working at Pacific Seeds because
every day is different. Each day I do a lot of different things which keeps
my work life interesting. The highlight of my time working for Pacific
Seeds was being a member of the 50 Year Celebration Committee who
were responsible for organising a conference and a gala ball to celebrate
Pacific Seeds turning 50 years old. Outside of work I have been married
to my wife Yvonne for five years and am proud Poppy to three boys –
Zachary, Jordan and Alexander. I am a mad Sharks supporter and my
hobbies include touch football, greyhound racing, rugby league, cricket
and golf. My greatest sporting achievement is scoring a hole-in-one in
a game of golf. I also have a family pet, a rotty x wolfhound called Amy.”
I joined Advanta as Area Manager - Product
Development. I immediately adjusted to the new
experience as a researcher at the TD function. New
things in my work and new experience helped me
to maintain my interest and work for excellence.
Later in 2012 as TD activities increased, Dedi
Yuli Restiawan joined us as TD Agronomist for
East Java. In our collaborative efforts with Dr
Muhammad Azrai, we released ADV - Kareena
(Sweet Corn hybrid) in Indonesia. Exponentially
with time the organization continued to grow and
in 2013 we added one more member, Eri as TD
Agronomist for North Sumatra. At Advanta Seeds
Indonesia I feel a warm family at work place,
helping each other reach success together. We are
committed and work closely to achieve excellent
results, with ownership and result orientation.”
Becik Pambudi
India
“I joined Advanta India on 2 May, and work as a Principal Breeder
(Sorghum) for India and Africa. I have been in this field for 12 years in
various leading seed companies in India. Working in Advanta is indeed
a great experience. Words cannot express the help and cooperation
that I receive from my seniors and colleagues. I receive very valuable
support from all departments, and am geared up to take on greater
responsibilities and challenges. I feel proud to be a member of the
Advanta family.”
Santosh Santosh Dadasaheb Taware
24
Al Barron
Thailand
“I joined Pacific Seeds (Thai) in 1983 as a corn
breeder. I had a good opportunity to work with
colleagues in Thailand, Australia, Argentina and
Brazil for the first 10 years, which taught me a
lot in managing the corn breeding program to fit
reasonably well with the marketing plan. I have
had tough and sweet moments over my 30 years of
experience here. But I never gave up during tough
times, and worked with the team to tackle all
challenges. I am so lucky to be working with good
team members in all divisions in a harmonious
environment. Our sales have grown three-fold
since 2003 with a turnover of over USD 37 million
in 2013. We will continue this good growth in the
coming years too, by delivering superior products
and services to markets. At Pacific Seeds (Thai),
we all have a common dream, which is to make
Pacific Seeds (Thai) the No 1 seed company in
Thailand. Our dream will come through soon. My
team members and I are so proud to be members
of Pacific Seeds (Thai) and the Advanta group.”
Pachok Pongpanich
Australia
USA
Argentina
“I first joined Advanta in January 2008
as a trainee for Market Research
in Biotechnology Center, Balcarce,
Argentina. A little while after that job
finished, to strengthen the Nutrisun
Business Unit the company decided to
move Administration, Sales, Production
and General Management to Mar del
Plata, my home town, and I got the
opportunity to join as a full time employee
in Administration Department. While I
was working in this position I finished
my college degrees in Business and
Accounting.
To participate in Nutrisun Business Unit
from such an early stage of the project
was extremely educational. I did a broad
range of activities like setting up the
office, initiating AP and AR departments,
monthly reports and Budget for Nutrisun
as an independent Business Unit, being
part of SAP local implementation team
for Advanta Semillas at a legal entity
level, preparing and filing Government
Grants for R&D Projects and structuring
a supply chain partnership.
In 2012 I was offered to move to US to
join Advanta US Team to assist in SAP
Implementation and Financial Reporting.
After several conversations with my
family and girlfriend I decided to accept
the job and moved to Amarillo, Texas in
January 2013. I landed in Advanta US at
a time of exponential growth. Being part
of this while developing interdisciplinary
team work through SAP implementation
is an ambitious objective for this group
and I enjoy daily.
My overall experience working for Advanta
has been breathtaking since the day I
joined. Exposure to Senior Management,
inter-cultural
communication
and
coordination between naturally different
businesses are some of the factors
that make the Advanta experience an
incessant and challenging learning
process that has kept me excited from
the beginning and I appreciate that
enormously.”
Pablo Ramundo
Della Holmes
(Receptionist, Administration
& Finance)
Franco Carpino
(Foundation)
Shane Carroll
(Processing Operator,
Processing & Warehouse)
Miguel Badiola
(Production Research)
Michelle Abbott
(Deputy Financial Controller,
Administration & Finance)
Ignacio Cara
(Processing)
Brazil
Lourenco Viana De Sousa
(Experimental Corn Breeder)
Diego De Felipe
(Corn Breeding)
Pablo Núñez
(Sales)
Colombia
Mauro D’angelo
(Processing)
Juan Carlos Villalobos
(Business Manager-LAN)
25
Global
Claudio Torres joined as
CEO of Advanta. He has 23
years of experience in the
agricultural inputs / seeds
industry. He has managed
diverse functions ranging
from technical and product
development to sales,
marketing, finance and
general management. He has worked in several
geographies and brings
with him solid experience
in both South American
and Asian markets. He
has an excellent record
of achievements and
is familiar with a wide
range of crops, including
corn, cotton, canola and
vegetables.
His vast experience will
be relevant and vital as he
steps into the leadership
role at Advanta.
Claudio Torres being introduced to the
Advanta staff at Global Office by Vikram
Shroff and Ram Kaundinya
Being welcomed at India Supply Chain
Office...
...addressing the staff
India
Naveen Ch
Research Associate,
R&D
Chinnappa CS
Manager – Imports /
Exports, Supply Chain
Ashish Kumar Surana
DGM - Finance
Ratnadeep Bhattacharjee
Research Associate
Vineeta Kaila
Management
Trainee, Technology
Development
Krishnanand P Kulkarni
Research Scientist,
Biotech
Shankarnag B
Breeder – Melon, R&D
Srijani Chowdhury
Management
Trainee – HR
PacThai
USA
Panatchakorn Poonglud
Public Relations
Officer
Kelley Schlabs
Customer & Technical
Support Lead, Amarillo
office
26
Bundit Konkham
Electrical Engineering
Supervisor
Angkana Phachakasem
Import-Export
Supervisor
Anon Menkul
Production Control
Officer
30 Years
Adrián Pegoraro
Administration
25
India
15 Years
Grondona Martín
R&D
HV Satyanarayana
Sr Breeder, R&D
– Vegetable Crops
5 Years
Mohammed Raj Mohammed
Research Technician
– R&D
India
Morata Mónica
R&D
Vellaz Orlando
Development &
Technical Service
10 Years
Zambelli Andrés
Biotechnology
Belén Rubén Alberto
Processing
Thailand
Australia
Thyagaraj V
Sr Scientist – Cell Biology
& DH Technology
Years
Kennedy Daniel
Technology
20 Years
30 Years
Pachok Pongpanich
Managing Director
20 Years
15 Years
5 Years
Jiraporn Silapapisan
Senior Finance Officer
Sutthi Kongrit
Production Manager
Ken Haxen
Product Development
Specialist - Corn, R&D
Division
Prachup Yimchang
Farm Officer
Jarul Intanasak
Deputy-Marketing Manager
10 Years
5 Years
Saichon Kongjul
Parent Seed Coordinator
Amnat Jantabtim
Parent Seeds Officer
Keng Sangkaew
TD Supervisor
Pairote Thummaphanich
Sales Supervisor
Glen Merritt
Commercial Seed
Processing Supervisor,
Processing &
Warehousing
10 Years
Congratulations!
Argentina
Service
Milestones
Kathy Amos
Research Assistant –
Administration, R&D
Ray Archibald
Logistics Manager,
Sales & Marketing
Management awarded the meritorious children of Advanta employees who
secured above 90% marks in the 12th standard examination.
Pranesh Kumar (S/o K Nagaraja Rao,
Deputy Manager – Admin)
Varsha (D/o Satish S Hegde, Parent Seed
Production Lead)
Raghavendra (S/o Thimmaiah D, Area
Manager - Parent Seed Production)
Sushmitha (D/o D Sreedevi, Assistant
Manager – Finance)
27
Australia
You brought us in to a world of freedom,
Taking us camping in nature’s kingdom.
Little Angels
Well rounded I’m sure you meant us to be,
As museums and art you insisted we see.
Push bikes, horses & medieval fairs,
Then electronic gadgets you taught us to share.
Australia
Lots of Aussie culture at the Ekka for years,
Horsie rides, cuddles, kisses and tears.
When you got sick you still shaped our lives,
Me back to nature and the bush to survive.
Tom off to med school, a cure to find,
He worked so hard to look after your mind.
We love you Dad and the memories you have left,
Will help us move on and not be so bereft.
Zander was born
on 20 February to
Ken Haxen (Product
Development
Specialist, Corn)
Fergus was born
on 26 February to
Ben Adams (Wheat
Business Manager)
and Anita
Albert was born on
7 March to Jason
McIntosh (Territory
Manager) and
Makayla
William was born
on 14 March to
Matt McLoughlin
(Sr Financial
Controller) and
Kate
We know how you hated not being a man of men,
But now you are free and whole once again.
Walk proudly Dad on the long road up yon,
We love you and miss you even though you are gone.
Daniella Holmes
(Receptionist – Pacific Seeds, Australia)
India
PacThai
Samuel was born
on 16 July to
Liam Anderson
(Marketing Support
Unit Manager) and
Cherie
India
Eight-year-old Sanika
(D/o Dr Santosh Taware, Principal
Breeder - Sorghum, India & Africa)
won the Second Prize in the
under 10 Regional Bharatanatyam
Classical Dance Competition at
Aurangabad in June.
Rajasekhar Reddy (Sr Research Technician,
R&D – Vegetable Crops) married Pushpa
Latha on 25 August.
Jaya and Rohit (children
of Anand Prajapati, Lab
Assistant, Biotech Lab)
won the First Prize in
the Fancy Dress and
Dancing competitions,
at the Independence Day
celebrations on 15 August.
Arnav was born
on 21 March to
Amritha Nambiar
(SRA, Biotech) and
Prashanth Kumar
Sulalida (Eye) was
born on 15 November
to Suradech and
Piyanadda Fungsuk
(TD Manager)
Prachet was born on
18 May to K Murali
Krishna (Sr Executive
– SAP Materials
Management Systems)
and Sameera
Argentina
Agustin was
born on 14 May
to Mariano
Dametti (Product
Management,
Marketing)
Dante was born on
21 August to Paula
Cognigni (Marketing
Communications)
Published by: Advanta Limited, 8-2-418, 3rd Floor, Krishnama House, Road No.7, Banjara Hills, Hyderabad - 500034, AP, India.