Farmers across several pumpkin producing areas in the Philippines are struggling with increasing Squash Leaf Curl Philippines Virus (SLCPV) that significantly reduces yield and profitability in planting pumpkins. East-West Seed Suprema Gold hybrid pumpkin variety, which has intermediate resistance to SLCPV, addresses those challenges and helps vegetable farmers to improve their livelihoods by increasing their production output.
Suprema Gold seeds undergo a meticulous selection process and are equipped with Headstart Technology ensuring a 90% germination rate, 99+% physical purity, and has seed value addition.
“Vegetable farmers in areas such as Nueva Ecija, Nueva Vizcaya and Bukidnon are providing nutritious pumpkins for the whole country.” says Jay Lopez, General Manager of East-West Seed Philippines. “We are aware of the challenges these farmers are facing, especially with the rise of SLCPV. We address the needs of these farmers with the launch of Suprema Gold under the East-West Seed Gold line. These are ultra-selected seeds which bring higher confidence in germination, ensure a better head start in cultivation and come with a seed coating that gives better fighting chance (nutrition and protection) on the first 21 days of the seedling.”
Jaime Serame, who has been a vegetable farmer for the past 25 years, was able to plant the new Suprema Gold. He pointed out the premium quality of this new premium variety: “Suprema Gold is remarkable for its abundant harvest of dark green and uniform-sized fruits, each weighing up to 6 kilograms, which are particularly favored by traders. I have personally observed that my Suprema Gold plants show no signs of SLCPV disease, and I have also noted an earlier onset of fruiting. This early fruiting not only enhances productivity but also allows for an earlier harvest, contributing to more efficient farming practices.” With the launch of East-West Seed Gold line, East-West Seed Philippines is committed to providing better seeds of premium quality to improve the lives of Filipino farmers.
About East-West Seed
East-West Seed, founded in 1982 by Simon Groot, Dutch seedsman and recipient of the 2019 World Food Prize, along with Filipino seed trader Benito Domingo, is one of the world’s leading vegetable seed companies in Asia and expanding rapidly in Africa and Latin America. The privately-owned company has played an important role in the development and improvement of tropical vegetable varieties that are adapted to tropical markets and growing conditions. Its mission is to provide innovative products and services that help to improve the livelihood of vegetable farmers. In addition, East-West Seed trains vegetable farmers in order to help maximize their yield and income through better knowledge of vegetable production and farming skills.
In 2016, East-West Seed was ranked #1 in the “Global Index for Vegetable Seed Companies” and “Regional Index for Eastern Africa” by Access to Seeds Index (ATSI), a part of the World Benchmarking Alliance. The company maintained its #1 ranking in the 2019 Global and South and Southeast Asia Indices. ATSI measures the efforts of global seed companies in enhancing smallholder farmers’ productivity.
In 2020, it ranked number 28 in Fortune’s Change the World list of companies that are doing well by doing good.
East-West Seed, headquartered in Thailand, is a fast-growing, multicultural organization with around 3,500 employees worldwide. It has 20 R&D establishments in nine countries and exports to over 75 countries. In the Philippines, East-West Seed has three R&D establishments in Batangas and Bukidnon, and its main office is located in San Rafael, Bulacan.
Learn more about us at www.eastwestseed.com.
