Soybean research tie-up with Japan companies in the works

MANILA, Philippines - Agriculture Secretary Proceso J. Alcala welcomed the possibility of a collaborative research on soybeans, a key food product as well as an ingredient for feeds, with Japanese companies.
Alcala met with a Japanese delegation visiting the country to look at advances made by the local soybean industry.
Dr. Nicomedes P. Eleazar, director of the Bureau of Agricultural Research (BAR), told the visitors that his bureau has been propagating the cultivation of soybean based on the performance of some strains under Philippine soil and climatic conditions.
The meeting was arranged by director Dante S. Delima, national coordinator of the High Value Crops Development Program (HVCDP) as well as concurrent assistant director of the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI).
Koji Fukumitsu, president of Agritecno Yazaki, led the delegation. The members are: Shigemitsu Miyaki, manager of the Seed Technology Research Division of the Agritecno Yazaki; Sato Kenji of the Corporate Planning and Finance Division, New Business Management Department of Yazaki Corp.; Ms. Junku Ogawara, interpreter, and; Feliciano L. Torres, president of the Yazaki Torres Corp. Atty. Ruel Canobas.
Agritecno Yazaki, a subsidiary of Yazaki Corp., was established in 1996 and concentrates on different seeding technologies.
The Japanese visitors were especially interested in the industry since Japan is the one of the biggest importers of soybean in the world.
Figures for 2005 showed Japan was among the world's top three importers, and purchased 4 million metric tons (MMT) of commodity that year.
Fukumitsu's group was interested in exploring collaborative research on their Gel-Covered Seed Technology or Tanemaru, the gel-coated seeds, on soybeans and maybe for other crops as well.
According to Agritecno Yazaki, Tanemaru is an entirely new seed form in which a small seed is wrapped in natural polymer gel filled with water, making it easier to handle.

(Source: http://ph.news.yahoo.com/soybean-research-tie-japan-companies-works-20110309-233702-696.html)