US Agriseeds to build yellow corn seed facility in South Cotabato

US Agriseeds is expanding its Philippine operations by putting up a breeding facility for hybrid yellow corn seeds in Mindanao, the company said Friday. The California-based agrotechnology company operates in the Philippines through business unit SeedWorks Philippines Inc. The corn breeding facility is expected to be built on a five to 10-hectare property in South Cotabato not later than 2014, Carlos Saplala, US Agriseeds general manager for Southeast Asia, told reporters at the sidelines of the 1st Hybrid Rice Congress in Nueva Ecija. “South Cotabato is a good place to breed, because of high disease prevalence in the province,” he said. SeedWorks  is a young player in the agriculture hybrid commodity business. “We are fairly new in Southeast Asia... but it presents a big opportunity for the company because rice is mainly produced in Asia. It is a good market if Philippines, Indonesia and Vietnam are put together,” Saplala said. Yellow corn is primarily used as a component of animal feeds. — VS, GMA News