More Can Be Done Now to Address the Growing Global Demand...( Increasing Yields the Best Option...)

Increasing Yields the Best Option, Says DuPont Leader at UN Food and

Agriculture Conference

ROME, June 3 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- More can be done now to increase the amount of grain farmers harvest from their land and help address the strong and growing global demand for grain, Mike Gumina, vice president of DuPont (NYSE: DD) business Pioneer Hi-Bred, told a United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization Conference being held here today.

"Improved farming practices and technology exist today that could help farmers in both developed and developing countries increase their productivity," Gumina said at the conference on world food security. "Better crop management practices and better seeds -- both conventional and biotech -- have tremendous potential to increase supply and improve the lives of farmers."

Gumina said that of the three ways to increase available supply -- more land in production, drawing from stored supplies, and increasing yield -- the only sustainable option is increasing yields. There is relatively little additional land that would not be environmentally sensitive that could be brought into production. Global stores of grain are at all time lows, he noted.

"While implementing and sustaining new agricultural practices is challenging, we've seen it work around the world," Gumina said. "Farmers in many countries like Ethiopia have increased corn yields by switching from open pollinated varieties to conventional hybrid corn. At the same time, farmers in countries like Spain, Argentina and the United States are increasing harvestable yield with biotech traits."

"Science companies like DuPont are investing heavily to develop seeds and provide technical support to
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