Posted on October, 15, 2018 at 11:21 am
Bayer East Africa has re-affirmed its commitment to the government’s big four agenda through their contribution to food security by ensuring innovations in agriculture- by way of employing technology combined with talent to deliver value to both customers and partners.
Speaking during his tour of Kenya, Global Head of Agricultural Affairs and Scientific Affairs Jesus Madrazo emphasized on the company’s vision of ensuring that agriculture becomes part of the solutions in an environment marred with challenges such as limited resources & the ever changing climate.
“We are creating a global leader in agriculture with a broad portfolio, and we pride ourselves in providing superior product offering and tailored solutions for our customers across the world. It is for this reason that Bayer has recently made moves such as the acquisition of Monsanto, which provides us with the more back-up as we work towards providing our customers tailored solutions for their varied needs”, said Mr Madrazo.
To further the food security agenda, Bayer has partnered with WEMA- a public private partnership whose aim is to improve food security and rutral livehoods of smallholder farmers in Sub Saharan Africa.
Through this partnership, Bayer and WEMA have developed maize seed hybrids that not only promise better harvest results but also have insect pest protection trait. The project which is led by the African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF) based in Kenya.The project has received funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Howard G. Buffett Foundation and USAID, among others.
In addition to food security, Bayer is also keen on supporting the government’s manufacturing agenda.
Recently Bayer has made notable milestones towards the commercialization of the Bollgard 2(BG2) cotton variety; which was approved by the National Bio-Safety Authority and other government bodies for National Planting Trials.
“Manufacturing is one of the key pillars of development as mapped out by the government. With this background, supports out enthusiasm towards the progress we are making with the BG2 cotton seeds variety. The recent approval goes further to champion our vision to revive the textile industry in the country, as well as empower Kenyans through job creation”, said Eric Bureau, Bayer East Africa MD.
Bayer East Africa understands the value of giving back to the community around which they operate, and that is why they have endeavoured to invest in projects that are geared towards community upliftment.
“Responsible corporate citizenship is at the core of our operations and that is why we have launched several programs across Africa. One of the current projects that we have running is the $5 Million Improved Approach to Community-based Nutrition in Turkana (IMPACT) Project; whose goal is to improve nutrition outcomes for pregnant and lactating women and infants and young children (<5 years of age). Ourour community development projects across the country cover water and sanitation and farming to name a few”, said Mr Jesus Madrazo.
Another one of Bayer’s most recent collaboration is with One Acre Fund where the company injected EUR 700,000 to go towards improving the situation of smallholder farmers in Africa and to provide better nutrition.
The project addresses more than 600,000 farmers in Kenya and Rwanda who are to be provided with high-quality poultry and digital technology. The partnership is a key element in Bayer's strategy to support social innovation and sustainable development in Africa
Currently, Bayer has a CSR footprint in Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia & Nigeria where they work with non-prfit organizations.
Source: CAPITAL FM