b'Creating value for all, from Grower to Ginner and beyondHOW TO ENSURE SUSTAINABLE PRACTICES FOR THE GREEK COTTON PRODUCER.BY: MARCEL BRUINSWHY IT MATTERS A thanasios Tsoutsas, (Cotton cluster Lead Greece, Turkey, Spain, Kazakhstan and Now that the dustAzerbaijan) from BASF Greece says it was is settling on theonly after a few months that he joined the com-mega mergerspany that BASF acquired a large stake in the seedAthanasios Tsoutsasand acquisitions,sector, but it wasnt hard for the employees to make the seed world hasthe transition.one new majorEven if BASF was not a seed company, the player added to thecompany has a seed mindset because the employ-spectrum. Over theees are very closely related to and have always course of 2018, Bayerworked with important plant breeding companies transferred most ofdue to the Clearfield and Clearfield plus pro-its seed business toduction system (CL) technology, says Tsoutsas.In my view, existing Clearfield technology BASF, for the priceThis technology has provided an opportunity forand its enrichment with additional traits, as well as of 7.4 billion, and inemployees to understand the importance of geneticits extension to other crops, will be an important addition more thanmaterial and the numerous possibilities of seedfield of research and innovation by our company.4,500 employeestechnology for the future in agriculture. BASFs joined BASF throughtop management knew that being a seed companyWORKING IN THE GREEK SECTORthe acquisition.would enhance its offer and thus proceeded withTsoutsas says they often use the expression that European Seedthis very significant acquisition in order to have"seed is the most important agricultural input" dived into one ofmore agricultural solutions to offer the grower. and he believes this has proved true during the the crops that madeTsoutsas says there are many exciting traitseconomic crisis.the move: cotton.currently in the BASF pipeline. In cotton, he saysThe seed market has resisted the crisis well, In a world wherethe fibres have been examined for many years andsince seed essentially starts the agricultural pro-society demandsbring advanced quality characteristics such as theduction. All the agricultural companies involved seed companieslength, the strength and the low short fibre ratio,have helped, through applied policies by continu-to be evermoreas well as the maximum lint yield. ing supply of our agricultural producers with the socially equitable,Our FiberMax varieties are well knownnecessary inputs for their production.economicallyand highly recognizable for their quality charac- He says mainly financial support tools have sustainable andteristics high Gin Turn Out (GTO) in the globalbeen used to support the production process in environmentallycotton ginning and spinning industry, making thetheir country. In fact, he says the crisis has posi-responsible, a novelfiber ideal for specialty garment products, such astively helped their country handle many issues on approach in cottonfine count sheeting, shirting, womens wear anda more rational basissomething that has often stands out tryingluxury goods. been said yet is important to underline.to achieve all the above. 36IEUROPEAN SEEDIEUROPEAN-SEED.COM'