b"Solynta CEO Peter Poortinga empha- provide additional beneficial character-sized the importance of understandingistics to the future potato varieties. That farmers' needs when introducing ground- is the big advantage of our non-GMO breaking technology. hybrid potato breeding technology: we When introducing a completely newcan quickly breed new varieties, very technology, it is essential to know wherefocused and data-driven. Our focus will your products are able to make a hugebe on developing new varieties, that are difference in the daily lives of potatotailored to specific regional climatical growers, said Poortinga. We believe thatzones and fit the market demands.true potato seeds will have great impactTPS also offers flexibility in how its on the lives of many potato growers inused: direct sowing, transplanting seed-regions where it is difficult or impossiblelings, or replanting harvested tubers, to have access to quality starting mate- depending on local needs. This adaptabil-rial, in terms of food security and farmerity makes Solyntas technology suitable economics. Our strategy is based onfor a wide range of environmentsfromHein Kruyt, co-founder and CFO at Solynta.delivering high quality true potato seedslarge-scale commercial operations to that contain our innovative genetics. Wesmallholder farms.are introducing these true potato seed varieties to farmers around the globe;Commercial Rollout: Local to improve their success by reducingPartnerships, Global Reachthe need for chemicals, stabilizing andSolynta is now scaling up commercial increasing their yield, and improving theirtrials and partnerships across multi-overall profitability. ple continents, including Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Americas. These efforts A Seed Built for Modern Agriculture are validating the performance of hybrid Hybrid true potato seeds offer benefitsvarieties in diverse climates and soils, that traditional seed tubers simply cantwhile also building strong ties with match. They are clean and disease-freeforward-thinking farmers and supply at the point of delivery, dramaticallychain partners.lowering the risk of spreading pathogens.Our focus now is on real-worldCharles Miller, Solyntas director of strategic Theyre also compact and lightweight deployment, said Miller. Were workingalliances and development.reducing transportation costs by up tohand-in-hand with local stakeholders to 99% and opening access to remote orensure that our technology is accessible, underserved markets. practical, and tailored to each regions For farmers, this translates into lowerunique challenges.input costs, healthier fields, and moreIn Kenya and India, Solynta works with predictable harvests. And because hybridlocal partners, among which Bayer. breeding allows for faster developmentBayer recognizes the challenges of new traits, growers can benefit fromsmallholder farmers face with tradi-improved varieties in a fraction of thetional seed tubers, including high costs, time it takes using conventional methods. logistical difficulties, and vulnerability to We have identified several essentialdisease, said VK Kishore, vice president resistance genes, and incorporated thoseand head of global product innovation in our breeding activities, said Edwinand new cropsVegetables R&D at van der Vossen, Solynta head of researchBayer Crop Science. In collaboration with & development. Many of our newestSolynta, we are implementing a multi-step non-GMO varieties now have a very highapproach in Kenya and India to sup-tolerance to late blight. Currently, we areport the adoption of true potato seeds continuing to focus on new traits that will(TPS). This strategy focuses on improvingPeter Poortinga, Solynta CEO.INTERNATIONAL EDITION 2025SEEDWORLD.COM /21"