Nutrition must take precedence over biofuel in order to safeguard a sustainable global supply of food. Irrespective of national decisions on cultivation and utilization we see our task as helping to increase specific yields of agricultural raw materials per unit of area. Resource and climate protection play a significant role in this. The use of crop protection products increases the efficiency of agricultural resources such as fertilizers and water and energy requirements in soil cultivation, thereby facilitating a reduction in CO2 emissions.
Alongside biodiesel, bioethanol is another important fuel based on renewable resources used in many countries of the world. It can be extracted from sugar or starch by way of alcoholic fermentation with yeast followed by distillation. With the aid of biotechnology, Bayer CropScience is endeavoring to increase the sugar yield in the sugar cane plant. Increased yields of up to 30-40 percent have been observed in the greenhouse. The proprietary technology is also showing highly promising results in initial field trials in Brazil. This too is an innovative step toward improved resource and climate protection.
