Sprouts (Jan 2014)

January 2014

Sprouts A newsletter for employees of East-West Seed Group

East-West Seed Thailand celebrates 30 Years of Trust

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Message from the BOM 2013 was a good year. We celebrated another milestone with the 30th anniversary of East-West Seed Thailand. The theme was "30 Years of Trust", with trust being the most important part of our relationship with farmers. We held a series of activities throughout 2013, closing the year with the awarding of 30 Sorndaeng Farmer Heroes last December.

We completed the flood protection in Bang Bua Thong, Nonthaburi in Thailand, where the regional headquarters of the Group and EWTH are located. During the 2011 flooding in Thailand, the EWTH team successfully kept the whole facility dry through extraordinary efforts.

It is one of the more remarkable events in the three-decade history of EWTH. By completing the flood protection, we have made sure that we are safe from flooding for the next 30 years at the very least. Again this shows that we

are always looking towards the future and we take no chances in ensuring the company's sustainability.

2013 was a year of growth for us, with great performance by all EWS companies. In our home markets and outposts we have continued to introduce innovative products and technologies, satisfying the needs of farmers for improved varieties with better resistance and less need for chemicals.

The company has been building a solid reputation for itself among opinion-makers and leaders that influence our business environment. In Myanmar and Indonesia, East-West Seed received notable members of the Dutch government during a trade and economic mission led by the Prime Minister himself, Mr. Mark Rutte, together with Lilianne Ploumen, Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation, and Sharon Dijksma, Minister for Agriculture.

Joost Pekelharing President

Bert van der Feltz Senior Vice President

In 2013, we also remained focused on developing our valuable human capital through training and knowledge-sharing in East-West Seed Academy.

We have stayed actively involved in the bigger community where we live, through the various CSR and social marketing campaigns we have successfully implemented last year.

s? h S r U o t y p W

Sprout(ing) - noun, the practice of soaking, draining, and then rinsing seeds at regular intervals until they germinate, or sprout. Much like seeds, we are growing, maturing, learning and enjoying the work we do.

Something beautiful emerges from our daily efforts... and then it just SPROUTS!

Now we have entered 2014. The new year brings optimism and energy. We challenge everyone to surpass the gains we have made in 2013 by being alert and responsive to opportunities. If we are able to unleash our limitless creativity and communicate better as an organization, East-West Seed can look forward to greater growth.

Simon Jan de Hoop Vice President for R&D

Let's sustain our drive to bring quality and constant innovation in everything we do, and fulfill our commitment to provide value to vegetable farmers in Asia and beyond.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Calling all writers! We welcome article contributions and photos from all EWS departments in all countries. Please email Sprouts Editor-in-Chief Francine Sayoc-Shiraishi at francine.sayoc@eastwestseed.com

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East-West Seed becomes highlight of Dutch trade mission to Myanmar

by Joost van Elzakker n November 16-18 a economic mission to Myanmar was led by Minister of Foreign Trade & Development Cooperation Ms. Lilianne Ploumen together with a select group of Dutch companies like Shell, Unilever, Phillips, Friesland/ Campina and East-West Seed.

ONetherlands

This visit was in large part initiated by Dutch Ambassador to Thailand, Mr. Joan Boer, who is also responsible for Myanmar and is aware of EWS' long history of doing business in that country.

The program included two farm visits organized

by EWS. On Sunday, Minister Ploumen visited a small farm in Yae Thoe village outside Yangon, where Stuart Morris and Mar Lar Soe explained and demonstrated their extension initiatives.

Minister Ploumen had an opportunity to discuss with landless farmers how to improve their livelihood.

On Monday morning the whole delegation visited a farmer close to Nay Pyi Taw, the capital city

of Myanmar. It was a remarkable event, having so many Dutch captains of industry standing in the field and being so close to nature again. Stuart and Mar Lar enthusiastically explained and demonstrated our support to the Myanmar farmers. Minster Ploumen was obviously very impressed. She mentioned she was going to stay with the famer the rest of the day instead of continuing the program, which caused a lot of hilarity and laughter.

The visit was a unique opportunity for EWS to travel with a high level Dutch business delegation, and to demonstrate and explain to Minister Ploumen what EWS is trying to achieve in Myanmar.

One of the outcomes of this visit is securing the commitment of Dutch Ambassador and Minister Ploumen to endorse our Private Sector Investment (PSI) proposal for Myanmar.

It was also good to learn the experiences of other companies in establishing a company in Myanmar and doing business in the country.

Photo feature: Aung San Suu Kyi meets EastWest Seed. Company President Joost Pekelharing meets Nobel Peace Prize recipient Aung San Suu Kyi in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar on November 18, 2013. She is seen here receiving a garland of marigolds developed by the company. The meeting was held during a Dutch trade mission headed by Ms. Lilianne Ploumen, Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation of the Netherlands.

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Dutch agriculture minister visits Ewindo Indonesia - On 22 November 2013, PT East-West Seed Indonesia was honored to receive a visit from Minister for Agriculture of the Netherlands Sharon Dijksma at its R&D center in Purwakarta, West Java. The Minister was accompanied by Dutch Director-General Agro Hans Hoogeveen, Agriculture Counselor of the Embassy of Kingdom of the Netherlands Jean Rummenie, and top Dutch companies. They were welcomed by Ewindo's board of directors, commissioners and staff.

The visit is part of a series of activities to strengthen collaboration between the governments of Indonesia and the Netherlands, especially in the field of trade and agriculture.

"Indonesia is a beautiful country and has fertile land, while the Netherlands has the advantage of technology. This is what we see in your company: combining the best of both worlds - high quality standard technology from The Netherlands with Indonesia's fertile green country. What you get is the best products in the world, beautiful, healthy vegetables and fruits. I congratulate you for your success," said Minister Dijksma.

During her visit the Minister was invited to see EWINDO's advance research and development and selection process of the vegetable seeds. At the end of the guided tour the Minister was taken to the field to see various EWINDO leading products and harvested vegetables.

The visit was covered by leading national and local media including newspapers, television and online as well as Dutch media.

"EWINDO's founding fathers, Simon Groot and Piet Mazereeuw, believed that a seed company could help farmers to get better income through better seeds. We believe we can further strengthen our position as the number one vegetable seed company in Indonesia because we have the right technology, right support from shareholders, and the right people. EWINDO is doing breeding, production, processing and selling in Indonesia, 100% by Indonesians from the bottom to the top of the organization," said EWINDO Managing Director Glenn Pardede.

On November 20, Minister Dijksma and Indonesian DirectorGeneral of Horticulture Hasanuddin Ibrahim witnessed the signing of an agreement on Indonesia-Netherlands hortibusiness cooperation.

The partnership emphasizes the goals of capacity building, upgrading of production, strengthening the structure of horticultural sector, post harvest and supply chain. The agreement was signed

by Glenn Pardede representing the Indonesian Horticultural Seed Producers Association (Hortindo) and Loek Hermans, Chairman of Greenport Holland.

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Holland Village 2013 - Vietnam ast-West Seed Hai Mui Ten Do (EWS-HMTD)

Eparticipated in Holland Village 2013, a celebration and

promotional platform for cooperation between Vietnam and the Netherlands. EWS-HMTD was among the many Dutch companies that put up an exhibit in Park Ho Chi Minh City, which is close to the Ben Thanh Market, one of the liveliest areas in the city.

The expo, which ran from 22 November to 1 December, was organized by the Consulate General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands as part of celebrating 40 years of bilateral relations between the Netherlands and Vietnam.

The previous Holland Village expo was held in 2010.

This is the first time EWS-HMTD participated in the event as an exhibitor. Our booth received more than 1,000 visitors per day. On display were EWS seed technologies like water-based film coated seeds, and innovative vegetable varieties like the heart-shaped bitter gourd and rainbow hot pepper which can be used not only for eating but also for ornamental purposes.

Our Value Pack range of products was also on display and sold over 1,200 packs in the first two days alone.

Another highlight of the booth was a planting demo for visitors, which everyone liked because they could take home their own pot of vegetable plant. There was also a tasting booth for melon and waxy corn.

Other Dutch companies that participated in the expo were Philips, Heineken, Unilever, KLM, Shell, Dutch Lady, Ned Spice, Dalat Hasfarm and others. East-West Seed stood out as the only seed company in the event, and was very well received by the enthusiastic crowd.

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Checking out produce at a vegetable stand in Accra, Ghana

Exploring the West African Market

by Jan Arie Nugteren and Meynard Tosay ast October 8-18, EWS Group Vice Chairman Ard Groot together with Dr. Gerard Grubben (EWS Consultant) and Mr. Jan Arie Nugteren

L(Business Development Manager-West Africa) visited countries in West Africa including Ghana, Togo, and Benin.

The visit began in Ghana where they met with Mr. Arno Maatman-Chief of Party and Mr. Raphael Vogelsperger-Project Leader of the 2SCALE (Toward Sustainable Clusters in Agribusiness through Learning in Entrepreneurship) project that East-West Seed International supports. The project aims to offer African vegetable farmers access to quality tropical seeds and technical training and advice, which will allow them to better respond to local market requirements and improve food nutrition and security.

A visit was also held at the Dutch embassy in Ghana and Benin to explore possible collaboration on vegetable projects. The group then met with various distributors to discuss how to facilitate seed distribution in each country, to make seeds accessible to more farmers.

The team inspects a cabbage field (Nuzaka F1) in Centre Songhai-Benin

2SCALE Demo site in Takoradi, Ghana

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Practical PDS training successfully organized in Nanning

by John Wester training focused on practical learning was organized at the

AEast-West Seed R&D station in Nanning, China last November.

Participants were a number of PDS staff from different countries, Farm Ready (seedling nursery of EWPH) manager Jun Arro, technical staff from our distributors in Sri Lanka and Pakistan, and rootstock breeder Ronald Magos.

The focus of this training was on: - Grafting of different vegetable crops and using different techniques - Practical indoor training (working with their own hands) of crops like pepper, parthenocarpic cucumber, tomato, etc.

In addition some presentations were given about pathology (Shicheng Xu), Integrated Pest Management (Clarinda Pile), rootstock development program (Ronald Magos), different techniques on grafting (Goanghyeon Youn), fertigation of soilless crops (Henk Jan Pascha) and indoor cultivation (John Wester).

Why do we focus on grafting and indoor cultivation? The expectation is that the use of grafted seedlings will become more common. It is a tool to help us solve soil related problems. Also in some cases rootstock has an additional effect of improved fruit quality, higher yield, cold/salt tolerance, and others. Indoor cultivation will also become increasingly important, especially in South and East Asia where the acreage of indoor crops are increasing. Further, in the

predominantly tropical areas in South East Asia we expect to see an increase for certain seasons/areas of indoor cultivation in net houses or a combination of plastic and netting. Disease pressures are on the rise and some varieties have yet to develop resistances against new viruses. In addition, consumers want to have a cleaner product with less chemicals. In some areas with water shortage, growers have to grow more produce with less water.

Regarding this group of participants, at times this group looked more like a bunch of jokers than serious trainees! However I must stress that all activities were carried out very seriously and I believe this training was a great success. With regards to the success rate of the grafting, a scoring was made and surprisingly all participants scored a success rate of over 90%. The participants who scored the highest in grafting methods are: #1 Clarinda (EWIT PDS), #2 Tukiman (EWINDO) and #3 Jun (Farm Ready EWPH).

To continue the grafting exercise in the participants' own country, each person was given clips and tubes. Furthermore all participants will send a monthly update about their progress at home and the problems they face in setting up their own facilities.

Last but not the least, our sincere thanks to the R&D team in China who made this training possible and provided excellent assistance.

All China team members are highly experienced in grafting and knowledgeable in indoor cultivation.

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Combining science and art in plant breeding

EWTH holds “Innovative Traits� field demo Chiang Mai, Thailand -- One of the highlights of East-West Seed Thailand's 30th anniversary is an event to showcase innovative new varieties specially developed, through advanced breeding technology, for specific needs and preferences of different target groups. The "Innovative Traits" field demo was held last 5-6 November in Farm Lert Phan, Chiang Mai. EWTH General Manager Wichai Laocharoenpornkul presented to the media the many varieties focused on specific target groups, which included (1) for end consumers, supermarkets and retailers: heart-shaped bitter gourd, heart-shaped chili, butternut pumpkin, aromatic cucumber and melon (2) for factories and food processers: purple eggplant, brassica and hot pepper, and (3) for farmers: yard long bean (bush type) and marigold.

The event also welcomed more than 30 supermarkets and food processing factories who visited the demo field and observed the varieties. There was a good response from them and their feedback was valuable to the breeders.

Another highlight of the event was a cooking demo for the lifestyle media, showing the creative ways to prepare vegetable dishes.

This event was expanded from the Think Big Act Bold project "Lovely Flowers and Fresh Veggies" whose idea is to make vegetable breeding respond to the needs of today's vegetable consumers. In Thailand, as in many Asian countries, there is a higher demand for high-value, highquality vegetables because consumers are becoming more health-conscious.

Today's families are also smaller, especially those in the urban areas.

Consumers are also becoming more discerning and selective. All of these trends were taken into consideration in developing the innovative traits seen in the demo field.

In addition, home gardening is becoming a popular hobby. Vegetable gardening at home is an easy, wholesome and fun activity that the whole family can enjoy. Growing vegetables at home is also a good way to ensure clean, safe and fresh vegetables. It doesn't require a huge space since vegetables can be grown in pots, which can be helpful to families living in high-rise urban condos or in townhouses with a small yard.

Recipe:

Mara Mocktail "Mara" is the Thai word for bitter gourd.

This Mara Mocktail is a refreshing drink consisting of two parts: honey-ginger juice and bitter gourd juice.

- instant ginger drink powder - honey - heart-shaped bitter gourd 1. Dilute instant ginger drink powder in hot water then add honey as preferred.

2. Chop bitter gourd finely and boil for 3-5 minutes until cooked.

3. Strain the boiled bitter gourd and extract the juice.

4. Pour the bitter gourd juice into the honey-ginger juice. This drink can be enjoyed hot or cold.

Special thanks to "Nasi Jam Prue" restaurant in Chiang Mai, Thailand!

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Sorndaeng awards 30 Farmer Heroes on its 30th anniversary hirty vegetable farmers were awarded as the best in Thailand

Tduring an Awards Ceremony held on 12 December in Bang Bua

Thong, Nonthaburi on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of EastWest Seed Thailand.

The awarding of the "Sorndaeng Farmer Heroes" closed the successful year-long celebration of the 30th anniversary of East-West Seed in Thailand, where it is more well-known by the brand name Sorndaeng ("red arrow").

The Farmer Heroes were chosen based on their unique success story with the help of East-West Seed varieties, innovativeness in adopting improved technologies, and contribution to their community's development.

Each Farmer Hero's success story is unique and praiseworthy. Some stories are about chance encounters, some are about finding other sources of income, while some are about continuing family tradition.

But one thing common about all these stories is that vegetable farming gave them a means to improve their way of life.

The event was opened by company President Joost Pekelharing who emphasized in his speech the company's commitment to farmers for the next 30 years. Vice Chairman Ard Groot gave an inspirational talk about the vision and ideals of his father, Simon Groot, who founded the company 30 years ago.

The big party also included an awarding of the winners of the Shop Decoration Contest, as well as recognition for the Loyal and Trusted Employees. The celebration was made more exciting by the colorful and spectacular light and sound performance of the Sang See Silp group from the popular TV show Thailand's Got Talent Season 3.

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Our processing plant and seed storage is now surrounded by a 25-cm thick reinforced concrete fence and 23-meter wide wellcompacted clay dike. The level of protection against flooding is measured in Meter Sea Level (MSL). The normal meter sea level of the BBT facility is +- 3 MSL, during the recent flooding the water level was +- 4 MSL and today we are protected against 5.5 MSL. The construction project took over 6 months with an investment of more than USD 1.5 million. This will ensure that we are safe from flooding for many years to come.

No longer at risk from flooding

by Joost van Elzakker and Montri Pongampai he coat of arms of the Netherlands bears the phrase Je In 2011, the East-West Seed Thailand (EWTH) facility in Bang Bua Thong, Nonthaburi was nearly flooded if it were not for the efforts of our flood protection team who stayed days and nights in the BBT Plant until the waters subsided. The support from all members of the East-West Seed family allowed the company to survive the flood with no major damage to infrastructure. The operation was down to 50%, and we had to set up the second commanding center at HGR Suphanburi to manage our operations during the crisis and continue delivering our products to our clients and farmers outside the flooded area. At its peak, the flood reached +4.0 Meter Sea Level (MSL), only 15 centimeters under our ultimate protection level.

TMaintiendrai which means "I will maintain" or "I will survive".

Nobody gets that lucky twice, so we then decided to build the most reliable flood protection fortress designed through Dutch civil engineering technology. This is in line with our philosophy "East meets West", because we used Dutch design/engineering technology and construction work from Thailand. The objective of the project was to protect the facility from future flooding and especially protect the valuable content of the seeds storage. We tend to forget that the content of our seed storage contains a lot of value, commercially and also genetically. That alone justifies the investment in a high quality flood protection system.

Before

After

Record-breaking attendance at the Big Field day in Northeast Thailand

by Issara Vongin total of 940 farmers in Chaiyaphum North East of Thailand attended the big field day last 8-9 November 2013 as part of the year-long celebration of the 30th anniversary of East-West Seed Thailand, better-known by farmers as the brand "Sorndaeng" or red arrow.

Aprovince,

This is the biggest crowd we've ever received since we started organizing this kind of

event. The activity presented our field demo with various crops, with special emphasis on hot pepper which is the main crop grown in this area. Farmers were also able to see the crops which are currently commercially available in the market and also the new varieties which will be introduced to the market soon. Also at the field day were technology display booths where farmers could appreciate our seed technology, plant

pathology and even get advice from our technicians on good cultivation practices.

This is one of the successful EWTH activities conducted by the Crop Support team where we create demand for our products using a direct approach to farmers (pull strategy) and by building famers' loyalty to our brand.

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Caring for society and farming communities

EWTH donates THB 1.6M to the Quality Seed for Sharing Foundation

by Kongboon Boonwonno he Quality Seed for Sharing Foundation was established September12, 2011 and chaired by the Grand Chamberlain Mr.Kitti Kantamitr. The Foundation's objectives are to provide good quality seed to affected people after a natural disaster, and to provide good quality seed to support learning activities under the projects of H.R.H Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn.

Ton

East-West Seed Thailand (EWTH) has supported the Foundation from the beginning by donating 2 million baht to set up the Foundation in 2011. To support the Foundation's continuous activities, EWTH, which is currently the major sponsor of the Foundation, launched a campaign from April to September 2013 where it pledged to donate 9 baht for every 30 Value Packs sold.

The campaign raised 1,623,465 baht (excluding seed value 1,576,535 baht) for the Foundation. This amount was presented and turned over by our company president Joost Pekelharing to the Foundation Chairman last 12 December, on the occasion of the 30th anniversary.

These activities of the Foundation in 2012-2013 included the provision of 80,185 sets with four different varieties of seeds to people and schools affected by flooding and drought, 8,115 sets with four different varieties of seeds to support the learning activities in 568 schools under the Princess' Projects, and 360 sets with ten different varieties of seeds to 178 Border Police Schools in Thailand.

EWTH introduces Easy Card to streamline payment process

by Somsong Tangchitporn hecking the collections has been a persistent challenge for the

CEWTH Finance Department, with numerous transactions making

it a big task to keep track of all payments. In October 2013, the Finance department introduced the "Sorn Daeng Easy Card" to solve this problem, using an electronic card (barcode-readable) which will be a one-stop tool to serve its customers.

Under the tagline "Easy pay, Easy check", this innovation will support customers for payment in various channels like ATM, Counter banks, Internet banking, and Mobile banking. This card works with four major banks in Thailand.

In addition, this card will link information among the company, its customers, and the banks. When paying using this card, the bank will send on-line information to the company which makes it easy for the Finance department to check. It saves EWTH time and cost, and

gives us assurance of accuracy.

Since this "Think Big, Act Bold" initiative was launched and communicated, there has been very good response from the sales team and customers.

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EWPH launches encrusted Super Pinoy onion seeds

By Girlie A. Dela Cruz he encrusted seeds of EWPH top selling variety Super Pinoy were

Tsuccessfully introduced last November 19-21 in the provinces of Nueva Ecija and Pangasinan. The launching activity was done in collaboration with the EWPH Allium Team and representatives from the Municipal Agriculture Office.

The Multiplier Effect: Hybrid Marigold

by Jayson Villegas and Lanie Cruz ast-West Seed Philippines (EWPH) conducted its first

Eever Farmer's Field School (FFS) on the production of

hybrid marigold in Los Baños, Laguna in cooperation with the Municipal Agriculture Office last August 15 to October 22, 2013. A group of 10 farmers attended the season-long hybrid marigold production every Tuesday morning. Part of the FFS program is to observe, assess and record the observations about the crop's physiological condition (plant height, flower size) and presence of pests and diseases. EWPH provided the seedlings of Mega Yellow and Maxima Yellow, and farm inputs such as fertilizers, insecticides and fungicides for the activity.

In Los Baños, more than 80 hectares is used for aster farming, making the town the country's largest aster producer and supplier. But according to the Municipal Agriculture Office and the local farmers, the aster industry is threatened due to market competition from other provinces. They are hardpressed to find alternative ornamental markets to address the growing competition. Some of these alternatives are sorghum (Sorghum bicolor), azucena (Polianthes tuberosa), mickey mouse, golden rod and palong manok (Celosia cristata).

Realizing that East-West Seed's hybrid marigold is easier to grow, less laborious, more productive and has the potential for a business development, the agriculture office and the farmers of Los Baños are hoping that the introduction of this new venture could be a big multiplier of their income.

Consumer activation was done in the form of sponsoring a local religious feast and decorating the altar and church with marigold flowers to introduce it as part of culture and religion, and stringing the flowers into garlands for VIPs. During the Field Day, a flower arrangement contest for marigold was held to show the beautiful and creative ways to display the flower. With the help of our cooperators and farmers, consumer activation was also done through sampling of marigold flowers in flower shops, and displaying potted marigold during All Saints' Day, giving it the catch phrase "Blooms for Heavenly Smiles".

During the event, the Seed Technology team presented the benefits of seed encrustment technology. Also included in the program were testimonials from trial farmer cooperators on the performance of encrusted onion seeds. By and large, the feedback was quite positive: Nueva Ecija farmers using mechanical seeder for direct sowing

Pangasinan farmers using direct hand broadcast for sowing

• better and uniform seed germination than traditional seed

• better and uniform seed germination than traditional seed

• better seedling vigour and uniform seedling development

• better seedling vigour and uniform seedling development

• easy to handle and can control/ estimate the amount of seeds to broadcast because of its uniform shape and size

• continuous good seedling vigour thereby reducing fertilizer input

• better protection against diseases

• easy to handle and estimate the amount of seeds to be broadcasted because of its uniform shape and size

• can hold against strong wind

• can be easily recognized / noticed in the soil • prevents ants from carrying the seeds after being sown in the soil

Our efforts are focused on developing formulations that would give more protection and better seed performance for the benefit of our onion farmers.

PHOTO FEATURE: Trash to cash.

A Think Big Act Bold project from East-West Seed Philippines lets a women's cooperative group in Mindanao turn trash to cash by recycling empty pouches of EWS products into environmentfriendly tote bags and wallets.

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EW-China hosts pipeline review meeting

by Hou Bixiu, Qin Renqing

Improvements in Nanning station EW-China ROM Dr. Youn, with the help of farm supervisor Wen Chao, led the efforts to improve the working environment in the Nanning R&D station by making the station a well-organized, convenient, safe and comfortable working space. Visible changes came through clear signage, a fresh coat of paint, bigger offices, new shower and locker rooms, and landscaping. he first China pipeline review meeting was organized last 15

TOctober 2013, participated in by various stakeholders including

Research Operations Managers, Sales Managers, PMC Managers, PDS team, breeders and plant pathologists. The meeting provided a venue for all functions to sit down and share information, share progress and develop action plans together. It helped promote better understanding of aligning the company strategy and China market information and breeding programs. On the second day of the review, all participants visited the Nanning field where they evaluated pumpkin, melon, eggplant and pepper. Fruits of bitter gourd, wax gourd, pepper and cucumber were also evaluated. Many promising pipeline varieties were observed. The team also had the chance to visit farmers' fields and grafting nurseries in the Wutang area in Nanning.

Warm welcome for Wiwat and Kang EW-China welcomed chief representative Wiwat Phupaibul in August 2013 with a party held in the Nanning station. The team also welcomed Kang Chengrui, Assistant Market Development Manager for EW-China, last September 2013.

EWINDO and HMTD Implement water based seed coating polymer

by Prem Mehta ast-West Seed Indonesia (EWINDO) and East-West Seed Hai Mui Ten Do (HMTD) have implemented the shift to water based seed As part of the joint project with Incotec, film coating formulations with standard colors were developed and implemented for the entire EWS Group. A comprehensive hands-on training on film coating techniques was provided in all EW locations. Information on innovative seed enhancement treatments including pelleting and encrusting was also distributed.

Ecoating polymers provided by Dutch seed technology company Incotec.

INCOTEC providing film coating trainings at HMTD and EWINDO

Rina and Rita from EWINDO show the encrusted shallot seeds produced by their team after the training provided by Incotec

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EW-India makes effort to conserve water at Lasur station

by Uddhav Shirsath ater is highly regarded in the Indian culture. It is also referred The main source of water on earth is rainfall. It is neither produced in laboratory nor in any manufacturing unit for commercial requirement. We get rainfall during monsoon in a particular time of the year, ranging from three to four months. Water is lifted from ponds, dams and wells for different purposes like drinking and irrigating crops. However, the distribution of rainfall due to global warming is not uniform every year.

Wto as jeevan, meaning life.

In 2012, India suffered much less rainfall and many parts of the country were affected by the water shortage. Everyone realized the importance of water during this shortage, including us in EastWest Seed. In response, we have implemented a proper drip irrigation system and water storage in our farm, which we call our Water Bank.

Farm pond: a water bank of 80,000 liters at EW-India stock seed farm Lasur station

We have waterbanks for the Stock Seed Farm and R & D Farm which are filled with water during the rainy season. The water collected will be used during winter and summer months by means of drip irrigation. We know that water is precious, and we do all that we can to conserve it.

POLLEN LABS EXPANSION IN EWPH, EWIN AND EWTH

by Prem Mehta ollen technology continues be an area of focus for seed production of Solanaceous crops. In 2013, this initiative was successfully implemented in all EastWest Seed locations. To support increasing targets of seed production via pollen technology, the expansion of pollen labs at various EWS locations have been completed. All EWS pollen labs are equipped and ready to support the seed production requirements targeted for specific varieties for 2014 and beyond.

Pto

Brand building workshop held in India

By Nilima Pawar workshop on brand building and corporate identity was

Aconducted in EW-India on October 15, 2013, participated

in by key stakeholders in the EWIN management and design team. The training was led by Porntipa Niyatanon (Executive Assistant - SVP) and Niwatt Theansuwanno (Graphic designer).

The training focused on how we can build and strengthen the EWS brand. During this training, we all came to know about the importance of corporate identity and brand building in today's competitive era. Everyone had fun during this training, and enthusiastically participated in the interactive session.

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EWPH holds first National “Pinakbet� Cooking Challenge

by Michael de la Paz "Cook with the heart. Smile". This is the cooking motto of our grand champions mother-and-son tandem Ester Maestre and Lorete Maestre, Jr. in the first National Pinakbet Cooking Challenge held last December 3, 2013 at the East-West Seed Philippines head office in San Rafael, Bulacan.

into 3-inch slices, then coating with flour, dipping in egg, sprinkling with bread crumbs, and deep frying. The vegetables then are dipped in a special sauce made of onion, garlic, tomatoes and shrimps with coconut oil.

The winners were selected using these criteria: originality, taste, presentation and affordability.

The activity was graced by the East-West Seed Group Vice Chairman Ard Groot and EWPH General Manager Mary Ann P Sayoc. PMC Managers, EWPH Managers, and Local Government officials of Bulacan were also present.

Well-known celebrity chef, Chef Pablo "Boy" Logro was the special guest of the program. He enlightened the crowd on the proper way of cooking and the importance of eating vegetables as he conducted a cooking demo for the audience that included farmers, housewives, teachers, students, fast food owners and EWPH employees. Mr. Zac Zarian of Manila Bulletin together with other members of the media also joined the program.

Processed vegetable products from different regions were also showcased during the event. The search for the East-West Seed Masterchef, a cooking contest for EWS employees, was also held.

The Pinakbet cooking challenge aims to increase consumption of vegetables among Filipinos. Presently, the Philippines has the lowest per capita consumption of vegetables with 40 kg per year compared to other Asian countries with more than 100 kg of vegetables.

Pinakbet is a popular Ilocano dish, from the Northern part of the Philippines. It was coined from the Ilocano word "pinakebbet" meaning shrunk or shriveled. This dish is basically composed of different vegetables like pumpkin, eggplant, okra, bittergourd, tomato, yardlong bean and pepper. Through the years, Pinakbet has evolved into different recipes adopted by different regions in the Philippines. And if Filipinos are to vote for the national dish of the country, Pinakbet will definitely be one of the contenders.

The National Pinakbet cooking challenge follows a series of eliminations from the provincial levels and major islands (Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao). It came down to three contenders vying for the title of the 1st National Pinakbet Cooking Challenge Champion.

The winning recipe is the "Crispy Pinakbet". This was prepared by first slicing eggplant, pumpkin, yardlong bean, bittergourd and okra

With the positive results of this activity and with the continuous advocacy of East-West Seed in increasing vegetable consumption and promoting healthy food and proper nutrition, the National Pinakbet Cooking Challenge will definitely continue for more years to come.

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East-West Seed takes part in Asian Seed Congress 2013 Kobe, Japan -- The Asian Seed Congress 2013 was held on 1822 November in Kobe, Japan, organized by the Asia Pacific Seed Association with support from the Japan Seed Trade Association.

The congress, which gathered 1,420 participants from the seed industry in 47 countries, was led by outgoing APSA President Mary Ann Sayoc, general manager of East-West Seed Philippines.

East-West Seed was represented by Bert van der Feltz (Senior Vice President), Michel Devarreware (Group Seed Operations Manager), Afrizal Gindow (EWINDO Sales and Marketing Director), and Atik Setyawati (EWINDO Export and Import Manager).

EWS also actively supported the seed congress by sponsoring the conference app for Android and iOS, which was used widely by the participants.

APSA conference app for Android and iOS sponsored

by EWS

The four-day agenda included a pre-Congress workshop on the topic of seed-borne diseases and disinfection. This topic is very timely and has become a focal issue along with the growth of international seed trade.

The Governance Review was a key point of the Congress, where the Executive Committee moved to adopt the recommendations on the changes in the governance structure of APSA. At the General Assembly, Dr Sayoc also presented her President's Report on the accomplishments of the past year. The recommendations of the Governance Review serve as the roadmap to APSA's future.

The next congresses will be held in Macau (2014) and in Goa, India (2015).