Bayer CropScience is one of the world´s leading innovative enterprises in crop protection, seeds, biotechnology and non-agricultural pest control. Bayer CropScience is best placed to make a significant contribution to the implementation of Sustainable Agriculture.

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Seed Production

No Trade in the Event of Violations

Friedrich Berschauer, Chairman of the board of management of Bayer CropScience, listening to the explanation ot the monitoring program against child labor.

Bayer BioScience Pvt. Ltd. (formerly Proagro Seed Pvt. Ltd.), an Indian subsidiary of Bayer CropScience, produces cotton seed that is grown by contract farmers in the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Gujarat. Systematic pollination of female plants with pollen from the male line makes painstaking manual labor essential in the production of hybrids. In Indian agriculture, these operations are often carried out by children. To prevent this from happening in its supply chain in the long term, Bayer CropScience has introduced its extensive Child Care Program.

Agreements with seed producers, which are signed early on before the season starts, contain a clear “no child labor” clause. During the season, teams make several, unannounced inspections of agricultural land, checking the age of the people working there, to monitor compliance with this undertaking. Responsibility for this lies with an organizational unit that is independent of any business activity and reports directly to the head of the Bayer CropScience India national organization.

If children are discovered to be working in the fields, the farmer is given a warning. If the offense is repeated, the farmer faces penalties of varying severity, culminating in termination of his contract.

Bonus program, micro loans and a continuing education program support farmers

	All suppliers undertake in their contracts not to employ child workers.

Bayer CropScience does not just threaten offenders with penalties – it also offers the prospect of rewards. The company gives farmers who can demonstrate that they do not employ children a bonus on the standard sale price for seed produced in the current growing period. In the overall 2006/2007 season, more than 340 farmers received such a bonus.

Furthermore, Bayer CropScience also helps farmers increase their productivity. As part of the “Target 400” training program, yields for each area of land under cultivation were raised by approximately 20 % through knowledge transfer, thus also increasing the income of the contractual partners. Agricultural land can therefore be profitably managed even without child labor. Farmers are supported by a micro loan program.

The standard of field monitoring is reviewed by means of internal audits. In addition, unannounced on-site visits are made by Ernst & Young, India to a relevant number of randomly selected farms once a year.

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[ last update: Friday, June 11, 2010 ]