Monsanto Company (NYSE: MON) announced today that it is opening its first research center in China, further demonstrating its commitment to forming technology collaborations in the country.
The Monsanto Biotechnology Research Center in Zhongguancun, Beijing, will strengthen the company's ties with Chinese research institutions in plant biotechnology and genomics.
The new research center is an extension of the company's commitment to doubling yields in its core crops by 2030 compared to a base year of 2000, while reducing the amount of inputs required per unit produced by a third. Monsanto currently invests more than $2 million a day in research in order to meet this commitment to global agriculture.
The Beijing research center will participate in early-stage bioinformatics and genomics research, and serve as a base for collaborations with Chinese scientists. Monsanto also has research centers in the United States, Brazil and India.
"Monsanto has made a commitment to collaborate with Chinese scientists on advanced biotech and breeding technology," said Stephen Padgette, vice president of biotechnology for Monsanto. "Monsanto has made a commitment to develop advanced biotech and breeding technology to China. The establishment of the center will give Chinese researchers access to our global research network and to our industry-leading product development pipeline."
"We are pleased that Monsanto, the leading agricultural biotech company, is setting up a research center in China. Biotech is an important solution to increase crop productivity. Technology innovation and improvement will be determining factors for agriculture sustainability," said Zhai Huqu, president of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Science (CAAS). "Strengthening the exchange of information and creating a technology collaboration platform is crucial for technological innovation. CAAS has worked with Monsanto in the past and this is a great opportunity to expand that collaboration."