Monsanto India

Its an opportune time to contribute to agriculture.  Today, we are
 witnessing the effects of a global recession. Countries around the
 world are experiencing an economic slowdown. Most developing countries
 are expected to show a negative growth in GDP. The Indian economy,
 though impacted, demonstrates a strong growth rate of an estimated 6
 per cent and continues to perform well. This positive GDP growth is
 driven mainly by our robust internal growth dynamics. As this overall
 growth in the economy and our population continues, our needs for food,
 feed, fiber and fuel are also expected to increase.
 
 The demand curve for agriculture production will continue to grow.  Our
 planet is faced with some extreme challenges - poverty, hunger and
 climate change, amongst others. Experts estimate that between now and
 2050, agriculture will need to produce as much food as was produced in
 the last 10,000 years. Land resources are shrinking, area under
 agriculture has witnessed a decline and water resources are depleting.
 Were talking about having to double food production in just forty more
 years - and doing it without much more land. This means that almost all
 of it has to come from increased output on every acre, without using
 more water - that means getting a lot more out of the rain that is
 still free. Forty per cent of world production of food comes from 18
 per cent of land that needs irrigation. At the forefront of this
 agricultural revolution are the farmers - majority of who live on less
 than Rs. 48 () per day. The world needs to increase food production
 while conserving land, water and energy, and inclusively improve farmer
 lives.
 
 Innovation will drive the production curve to keep pace with the
 increasing consumer demand.  Agriculture has a history of making
 dramatic productivity improvements due to the deployment of numerous
 innovations, better genetics and better farming practices.
 Technological innovations have always played a key role in this
 transformation. The worldwide Green Revolution of the 1970s led by
 agri-innovators such as Norman Borlaug and Henry Beachell had its
 greatest impact on India - credit to Indian Agriculturist Padma
 Vibhushan Dr. M. S. Swaminathan and Indian farmers.  The sharp rise in
 food grain production during Indias Green Revolution enabled the
 country to achieve self- sufficiency and overcome the threat of famine.
 Agricultural intensification in the 1970s to 1980s saw increased demand
 for rural labour that raised rural wages, and together with declining
 food prices, reduced rural poverty. This is undoubtedly a great Indian
 success story.
 
 We need to take the Green Revolution further. We need to usher in the
 next revolution.
 
 Innovation in agriculture provides the greatest hope for solutions.
 Agricultural research and extension systems need to be strengthened to
 improve access to productivity-enhancing technologies. Indian
 agriculture has the potential to contribute to the countrys economic
 development and has immense potential to alleviate millions of
 households out of poverty. With a stable Government and strong
 visionary leadership determined to make a difference to the lives of
 the farmer, Indian agriculture is at an inflection point.  We need
 effective partnerships to make this happen.
 
 For agriculture to be sustainable, we believe that there is a need to
 protect and conserve the environment so that future generations can
 meet the challenges of their day. Farmers need the best tools to
 achieve increased
 
 productivity while protecting the environment around them. Monsanto has
 a role to play in the future of sustainable agriculture and we believe
 we have some of the solutions to these complex issues.
 
 Our solution. Our commitment.  This year, Monsanto announced three
 commitments to help farmers increase global food production in the face
 of growing demand, limited natural resources and a changing climate;
 and pledged to work in new partnerships with other businesses, citizen
 groups and Governments.
 
 Monsantos worldwide three-point commitment includes:
 
 Produce more -- Monsanto will develop better seeds that will double
 yields in its three core crops of corn, soybeans and cotton by 2030,
 compared to a base year of 2000 in countries where farmers have access
 to current and anticipated new seed choices offered by us. Recognizing
 the importance of wheat and rice as key food crops, Monsanto
 established the Beachell - Borlaug International Scholars Program to
 accelerate breakthrough public sector research in wheat and rice yield.
 
 Conserve more - Develop seeds that will reduce by one-third the amount
 of key resources like land, energy, fertilizer and water required to
 grow crops by the year 2030. Monsanto will also undertake a series of
 partnerships to address key environmental issues.
 
 Improve farmers lives - Monsanto will help improve the lives of
 farmers, including an additional five million people in resource-poor
 farm families by 2020.
 
 Agricultural innovations can make farm families and rural India
 prosperous.  Today, Indian farmers have better access to technology in
 agriculture in the form of enhanced seeds, inputs and infrastructure.
 Amidst the challenges in agriculture, Indias success story with
 insect-protected cotton stands out as a beacon of hope and pride.
 Farmers cultivating Bt cotton seeds have made India the worlds second
 largest producer and second largest exporter of cotton by doubling
 Indias cotton production within six years of its launch; thus
 contributing Rs. 20,400 crores from 2002-07 as additional income to the
 Indian economy. In 2008-09, farmers adopted this technology on 82 per
 cent of Indias total cotton acres - probably the fastest technology
 adoption across all product categories. This is testament to the
 benefits and superior value farmers derive from agriculture technology.
 
 Indias robust regulatory system has made this possible. Superior
 technology in a single crop has benefited over four million farmers
 across the country. This success can be, and needs to be replicated
 across other crops like corn - the third largest cereal crop in India
 witnessing increasing demands. The potential of innovative agriculture
 technologies for India and Indian agriculture representing 57 per cent
 of our population is tremendous.
 
 The time has come for a positive change in rural India.  The successful
 ongoing implementation of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act
 (NREGA) is a step in the right direction.  NREGA workers represent some
 of the most economically and socially underprivileged sections. The
 project has generated over 450 crores person-days of employment,
 resulting in over Rs. 35,000 crores as wages, a major share going to
 women and Scheduled Caste
 
 and Scheduled Tribe families. The focus of work undertaken includes
 watershed management and water conservation, drought-proofing, flood
 protection, land development, minor irrigation and rural connectivity.
 This is key to strengthening the foundations of sustainable agriculture
 and is one of the solutions to transform and empower rural India.
 
 Multiple such solutions can accelerate rural transformation. Public
 Private Partnerships for the betterment of agriculture in years to come
 can usher Indian agriculture into a sustainable growth path, lead
 economic development and enhance rural prosperity. However, the means
 to this end will also have to transform. This is where technology will
 play a critical role.
 
 WE ARE OPTIMISTIC ABOUT THE ROLE OF AGRICULTURE IN DRIVING INDIAS
 ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN THE NEXT DECADE.
 
 Monsantos products and technologies are helping farmers realize
 economic and social benefits. We have been a trusted partner of Indian
 farmers for over four decades and are committed to further improving
 their lives.  We look forward to introducing new products with benefits
 for farmers and consumers. We are partnering with the Government and
 other stakeholders to make our products more accessible to farmers; and
 to evaluate the need and potential of future technologies.
 
 In India, important food crops with wide consumption including wheat,
 rice, maize, soybean and others, continue to grow in the low
 single-digit range. The Plan document also speaks of yield fatigue and
 technology gaps as the two main constraints in the development of
 Indian agriculture. Seed, with superior genetics and state-of-the-art
 technology, is the most important input for growth in agriculture. With
 the objective of ensuring food security for the burgeoning population
 through sustainable agricultural practices, it is heartening to note
 that the Public Sector R&D institutions in India are conducting
 extensive research on the benefits of agri biotechnologies, in addition
 to the private sector.
 
 We are optimistic about the role of agriculture in driving Indias
 economic development in the next decade. We believe the visionary
 political, leadership in our country and our robust regulatory system
 will accelerate this further.
 
 Monsanto is committed to strengthening communities and doing what we
 can to help people live safer, healthier, and more productive lives.
 Our commitments represent the beginning of a journey that we will
 expand on and deepen in the years ahead. As a pure agriculture company,
 helping farmers succeed is at the core of all we do.
 
 In this endeavor, as a Company, we continue to work with global
 standards of Corporate Governance and Ethics. Our Pledge is our
 commitment to how we do business. It compels us to listen more, to
 consider our actions and their impact broadly, and to lead responsibly.
 It helps us convert our values into actions, and to make clear who we
 are and what we champion.
 
 On behalf of all of us at Monsanto, I want to thank you for your
 partnership. Your continued support will help us forge ahead in
 providing sustainable solutions to farmers across India, helping them
 produce more, while conserving more, and improving their lives.
 
 Sekhar Natarajan
 Chairman