On 03 August 2011, the research leadership team of DuPont Pioneer visited CIMMYT at Hyderabad, India, for an overview of the CIMMYT-Asia maize program. Lead by John Sopper, Senior Vice-President for Crop Genetics & Development, the DuPont delegation also included Hans Bhardwaj (Senior Research Director), Peter Coaldrake (Director of Operations), Scott Naig (Director of Finance), Jennifer Gribble (Senior HR Manager), Jane Bachmann (Communications Manager–Research), and R.S. Mahala (Research Coordinator at Pioneer India).
P.H. Zaidi, senior maize physiologist/breeder at CIMMYT-Hyderabad, welcomed the group to Hyperabad and outlined the ongoing research priorities of the maize program. He spoke of the existing collaborations with public and private institutions, and CIMMYT initiatives towards purposeful partnerships, offering big opportunities for pro-poor agricultural investment and innovations. The group discussed the newly-launched International Maize Improvement Consortium (IMIC-Asia), MAIZE, the global alliance for food security and the livelihoods of the resource-poor in the developing world, and the collaboration in the highland maize program between Pioneer and CIMMYT-Mexico, as well as the opportunities for further future partnerships with the CIMMYT-Asia maize program.
