ST. LOUIS, May 18, 2012 /PRNewswire via
COMTEX/ -- Monsanto Company's MON +0.19% Chairman, President and
CEO Hugh Grant today will announce the company's support of the New Vision for
Agriculture Initiative, the Grow Africa Partnership and the G8's New Alliance
for Food Security and Nutrition through a $50 million commitment over the next
ten years to support sustained Africa agricultural development and growth. The
announcement is being made as part of a full-day symposium, Advancing Food and
Nutrition Security at the 2012 G8 Summit, hosted by The Chicago Council on
Global Affairs, in collaboration with the World Economic Forum.
During the event, G8 and African leaders,
businesses, international organizations and civil society groups are convening
to discuss new activities to advance food and nutrition security and
agricultural development in Africa.
"I'm delighted to be here taking part in
this conversation as I believe public and private sector commitment is
necessary and able to support a transformation in African agriculture,"
Grant said. "As a company committed to improving lives through
agriculture, we stand ready to work together with African leaders to turn their
ideas into action with the sense of urgency and scale needed to deliver local
solutions to meet our global challenges."
As part of its commitment to support food and
nutrition security and agricultural development in Africa, Monsanto will seek
increased collaboration among farmers, private industry, governments and civil
society groups that can fuel the development of innovations to increase
productivity while also strengthening the complete African agricultural value
chain.
"There is no single group or simple
solution that can solve the food issues facing a growing population,"
Grant added. "Rather, through the partnership and cooperation of many, we
can deliver improvements that can drive food security, environmental
sustainability and economic opportunity in Africa and beyond."
Part of Monsanto's commitment will go to its
continued support of Tanzania's Kilimo Kwanza (Agriculture First) initiative
focused on developing a vibrant agricultural sector that will benefit farmers
in the Southern Agricultural Growth Corridor of Tanzania. The initiative seeks
to improve food and nutrition security, reduce rural poverty and ensure
environmental sustainability.
In partnership with the Tanzanian government,
Monsanto will take a holistic approach, making commitments to key investments
and partnerships that are aligned with Tanzania's agricultural priorities and
that span the maize and vegetable agricultural value chains.
Plans include improved access to financial
services through a partnership with Opportunity International, continued work
with Tanzanian scientists through the Water Efficient Maize for Africa project
to introduce new maize hybrids suitable for Tanzania and available royalty free
to seed companies, support of a new depot in the agricultural corridor and
strengthening of agro-dealer networks to provide more choice to farmers,
support of a new initiative led by the Earth Institute of Columbia University
focused on soil health to encourage best management practices, and creation of
opportunities that provide farmers with improved access to markets.
Monsanto will also partner with additional
organizations on the ground in Tanzania, including Farm Input Promotion
Services on farmer education programs and Muunganisho Ujasiriamali Vijijini
(MUVI) on the formation of farmer cooperatives that enable farmers to
collectively negotiate and market their harvest.
Today's announcement is part of Monsanto's
strong commitment to supporting the communities in which it operates around the
world and builds on its more than forty-year commitment to agricultural
development in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Symposium Details
The full Symposium on Global Agriculture and
Food Security, including a 2:45 p.m. ET panel discussion on agricultural
innovation featuring Monsanto Chairman, President and CEO Hugh Grant, will be
live streamed at www.livestream.com/thechicagocouncil . Follow on twitter at
#globalag.
Additional Resources
The Grow Africa Partnership is a platform,
built on public-private partnership models piloted by the World Economic
Forum's New Vision for Agriculture Initiative, that seeks to accelerate
investments and transformative change in African agriculture based on national
agricultural priorities. For more information, visit www.growafrica.com .
The World Economic Forum's New Vision for
Agriculture Initiative works to develop a shared agenda for action and foster
multi-stakeholder collaboration to achieve sustainable agricultural growth. The
project is led by 28 global partner companies of the World Economic Forum,
including Monsanto Company. For more information, visit
www.weforum.org/issues/agriculture-and-food-security .
About Monsanto CompanyMonsanto Company is a
leading global provider of technology-based solutions and agricultural products
that improve farm productivity and food quality. Monsanto remains focused on
enabling both small-holder and large-scale farmers to produce more from their
land while conserving more of our world's natural resources such as water and
energy. To learn more about our business and our commitments, please visit:
www.monsanto.com . Follow our business on Twitter® at
www.twitter.com/MonsantoNews , on the company blog, Beyond the Rows at
www.monsantoblog.com , or subscribe to our News Release RSS Feed.
Cautionary Statements Regarding
Forward-Looking Information:
Certain statements contained in this release
are "forward-looking statements," such as statements concerning the
company's anticipated financial results, current and future product
performance, regulatory approvals, business and financial plans and other
non-historical facts. These statements are based on current expectations and
currently available information. However, since these statements are based on
factors that involve risks and uncertainties, the company's actual performance
and results may differ materially from those described or implied by such
forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause or contribute to such
differences include, among others: continued competition in seeds, traits and
agricultural chemicals; the company's exposure to various contingencies,
including those related to intellectual property protection, regulatory
compliance and the speed with which approvals are received, and public
acceptance of biotechnology products; the success of the company's research and
development activities; the outcomes of major lawsuits and the
previously-announced SEC investigation; the previously reported material
weakness in our internal controls over financial reporting; developments
related to foreign currencies and economies; successful operation of recent
acquisitions; fluctuations in commodity prices; compliance with regulations
affecting our manufacturing; the accuracy of the company's estimates related to
distribution inventory levels; the company's ability to fund its short-term
financing needs and to obtain payment for the products that it sells; the
effect of weather conditions, natural disasters and accidents on the
agriculture business or the company's facilities; and other risks and factors
detailed in the company's most recent Form 10-K Report to the SEC. Undue
reliance should not be placed on these forward-looking statements, which are
current only as of the date of this release. The company disclaims any current
intention or obligation to update any forward-looking statements or any of the
factors that may affect actual results.
Contact | Media: Sara Miller (314-694-5824)
SOURCE Monsanto Company
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