(La version française est disponible ici)
This week IRRI and the Belgian seed and biotech company Devgen announced a 4-year collaboration to develop drought-tolerant hybrid rice varieties. Few details were made available, but, from the joint press release, it seems that the agreement will see both sides working together to integrate drought resistant germplasm that IRRI has identified from its vast collection of farmer varieties into Devgen's hybrid rice varieties.
This is the third agreement that IRRI has made with a multinational seed company under its Scientific Know-how Exchange Program (SKEP). The first was with DuPont in March 2009, also focussing on the development and commercialisation of hybrid rice varieties, and the second was last December, with Bayer.
The hybrids developed through this collaboration will be marketed by Devgen. It's not clear what's in it for IRRI. Perhaps it will get a portion of sales or a one-off payment for their services? Either way it's another case of IRRI doing more work for big seed companies, which seems increasingly to be its main mission.
What is Devgen?
Devgen is a Brussels-based biotech company that moved into the Asian seed market in 2007 when it took over Monsanto's sorghum, rice, sunflower and pearl millet operations in India, Indonesian, Pakistan and the Philippines. As part of that deal, Monsanto took a 5.9% share in the company and the two sides signed an agreement, which was deepened in 2009, giving Monsanto "broad rights" over the technology developed by Devgen.
Devgen is now the number three hybrid rice seed company in India, where it works out of ICRISAT's Agri-Science Park. In 2009 it launched a commercial hybrid rice variety, called Masuwerte, in the Philippines through an exclusive distribution partnership with the Philippines agrochemical company Leads Agri. In Indonesia it has a partnership with the national seed company PT Sang Hyang Seri. The two sides established a Hybrid Rice Strategic Business Unit for hybrid rice seed production in 2009 and that year they registered two hybrid rice seed varieties which are expected to be on the market in 2010.
Devgen has breeding stations in Belgium, India, Kenya and the Philippines. It is involved in the development of genetically modified crops, in particular through its collaboration with Monsanto.