Bayer Launches New Rice Cultivation Method it Says Can Cut Emissions by 45% -- OPIS
17 October 2023 - 9:03AM
Dow Jones News
Bayer on Monday unveiled its direct-seeded rice cultivation
system, which the German biotech giant said can help farmers reduce
water use by 40%, emissions by 45% and dependence on manual labor
by almost 50%.
Traditionally, rice farmers first grow seedlings in nurseries
before transplanting them in plowed, leveled and flooded paddy
fields.
Bayer said in a news release that its climate-resilient rice
hybrids with higher yields can be sown directly in the soil and
bred specifically for the different farm environments.
The company said the DSR system is fully in line with its
recently announced approach to regenerative agriculture, which will
enable farmers to produce more while increasing restoration.
It has the "potential to be transformational" with 75% of total
rice fields in India expected to adopt the new method by 2040,
compared to roughly 11% now, Bayer said.
By 2030, Bayer plans to bring it to about 2.5 million acres in
India, supporting over 2 million early adopter smallholder farmers
through its DirectAcres program.
Additionally, farmers will be supported by Bayer's digital
platform FarmRise, giving them access to advisory services and
equipment. FarmRise also connects smallholders to the company's
Carbon Program, helping them earn additional income as they reduce
emissions, Bayer said.
The company intends to introduce DirectAcres in other
rice-growing countries in the Asia-Pacific region, starting with
the Philippines in 2024.
It is estimated that rice production contributes to 1.5% of
total global greenhouse gas emissions, 12% of methane emissions,
and consumes up to 43% of the world's total irrigation water.
The DSR system was launched on World Food Day at the sixth
International Rice Congress in Manila.
This content was created by Oil Price Information Service, which
is operated by Dow Jones & Co. OPIS is run independently from
Dow Jones Newswires and The Wall Street Journal.
--Reporting by Abdul Latheef, alatheef@opisnet.com; Editing by
Michael Kelly, mkelly@opisnet.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
October 16, 2023 17:48 ET (21:48 GMT)
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