The crops of the future are developed in Puerto Rico with ongoing research with corn, soy, sorghum, sunflower, cotton, among others since 1983. This is one of the fastest growing sectors of our economy and Puerto Rico offers many advantages including: year around stable weather and environmental conditions, skilled and professional labor, soil quality, proximity to the U.S., rapid transportation system, agricultural academic research centers and intellectual property protection. Pioneer, Bayer, Sygenta, Mycogen Seeds and Dow-Agro are among the companies that have presence in the island.
- 18% of all agricultural employment
- Over 2,500 employees
- Estimate operational budget of $74.6 million
- Top rank in total crops released in U.S. per APHIS data during the last 5 years
PUERTO RICO’S AG-BIO ASSETS
- A land-grant university (University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez) with an agricultural sciences research community and several agricultural experimental stations island wide
- A Center for Agricultural Biotech Research and Training (CEIBA) with 22,00 sq. ft. facility
- Wide-range of seed research and field trials at several company research stations
- Major R&D in agricultural products including early development stages of corn hibreds and other field crops commercial lines
- Due to weather conditions 4 to 5 crops could be produced in a year period, versus, the U.S. with one crop per year
- Micropropagation and tissue culture facilities
- Experimental stations with plenty of space for installing state-of-the-art greenhouse and facilities
- Supporting organizations such as INDUNIV Research Consortium and Puerto Rico Agricultural Biotechnology Industry Association
