Coronavirus stories

Extending support to government hospitals in India

At the request of the State Government of Andhra Pradesh in India, Syngenta India has extended its support to the government-run hospitals in the region. The hospitals ran out of bedsheets and pillow covers, which were in high demand as the number of Covid-19 patients was increasing. Syngenta India donated 2,000 unique disposable bedsheets and pillow covers to Andhra Pradesh district hospitals in Vijayawada and Guntur.

Joining hands with teachers and children to prevent the spread of Covid-19

November 18

Preventing new coronavirus infections remains a priority in managing the pandemic. Syngenta’s Seeds Development team in Vietnam recently donated 200 medical masks, 10 bottles of hand sanitizers and 3 ear thermometers to a kindergarten located in the same community to help protect teachers and students. The team also spent time with the children practicing proper handwashing and how to wear the masks correctly.

Helping Food Banks Canada face food insecurity

November 11

Food Banks Canada has seen an increase of more than 100 families per month since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic. Despite this year’s challenges, Syngenta employees at the Honeywood Research Farm in Plattsville, Ontario, Canada, worked together to safely harvest potatoes and squash for donation to the Cambridge Self-Help Food Bank. Syngenta Canada is also the founding sponsor of Food Bank Canada’s Rural Support program and provided an additional $30,000 to support their Covid-19 Response Fund. cover costs such as vehicles and gas to bring food into the community.

Health & safety training on Covid-19 for field workers

November 4

Field season is now in full swing in Brazil. Due to the special circumstances caused by the pandemic, Syngenta Brazil has expanded its regular health & safety trainings for field workers to include Covid-19 related guidelines. These guidelines – maintaining physical distance, washing hands regularly and sanitising the workplace – are also crucial for protecting workers in the field. The workers received booklets with details and reminders for use out in the field and when traveling. Syngenta is committed to helping prevent the spread of the coronavirus in the communities where we operate.

Helping to adopt new habits

October 28

In order to avoid the spread and transmission of the coronavirus, we all must adopt new habits. Syngenta in Indonesia supported the communities around our seeds site on East Java by building two ‘gazebo’ checkpoints. The gazebos are equipped with posters explaining protective measures against Covid-19 and with hand washing facilities.

Ensuring education can continue

October 22

Syngenta is committed to provide a safe and healthy working environment – not only for its own employees but also in the communities it operates in. Syngenta in the Philippines provided personal protective equipment and other materials to control the coronavirus to teaching and non-teaching staff of serveral schools of General Santos City as well as to employees of local government units.

Donating computers for online schooling

October 14

Since the Coronavirus pandemic started, many school-age children have been learning online. However, not all of them have access to computers. Syngenta colleagues in Greensboro, North Carolina, US, together with TEKsystems have so far restaged more than 220 laptops that are no longer in use by Syngenta employees. These laptops will be made available to families in need and the initiative will go on as long as there are old laptops that can be re-used.

Supporting frontline workers in the UK

October 8

With the increasing demand for face shields, the Syngenta team in Grangemouth donated materials to 3D Crowds UK, a 3D-printing community working to fill the gaps in the traditional PPE supply chain during the COVID-19 crisis. This allowed them to make 1,750 3D-printed face shields for frontline workers in the healthcare sector and other essential services across the UK.

Donating Covid-19 materials to hospitals in Brazil

October 5

Syngenta Brazil has made several donations to municipal hospitals, health-care units and health departments of 21 Brazilian cities. To protect the professionals who fight the Covid-19 pandemic, the company provided personal protective equipment like surgical and N95 masks, aprons, gloves, and googles, disinfectant as well as laser thermometers. In addition, the company provided equipment for PCR analysis in real time to help with the Covid-19 tests at the Central Laboratory of Belo Horizonte (LACEN).

Syngenta Seedcare creates a Covid-19 awareness raising video

October 1

The “new normal” during Covid-19 is unlike anything the world has encountered before. To help deal with this challenging situation, Syngenta Seedcare prepared a video in partnership with the Zambian seed industry and Tandem Circular Consulting. It contains tips on how to adapt to the new normal, so that the health crisis does not turn into a food crisis, and is available in 14 languages ranging from Turkish to Zulu.

Watch the informational video

Supporting the vulnerable in Greater Manchester, UK

September 28

Syngenta in the UK has made several donations to charities that support the vulnerable affected by the coronavirus pandemic across Greater Manchester. This includes 200 handmade face coverings to the homeless charity, Lifeshare, and financial support to Fare Share, a charity that helps fight hunger and food waste by redistributing surplus food to frontline charities. They have also supported Francis House Children Hospice.

Support for the farmers hit two ways in Bangladesh

September 24

Bangladesh’s smallholders are facing not only Covid-19, but crop damage from flooding and extreme weather. The Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture is on the ground working to support farmers and strengthen their resilience.

Read more on the Syngenta Foundation website

Syngenta Fields of Innovation takes place virtually for the first time

September 21

Since a live event wouldn't be possible due to the restrictions caused by the coronavirus pandemic, Syngenta has decided to stage its Fields of Innovation virtually. In this digital ‘farmscape’, vegetable growers and the value chain can explore vegetable field crops through virtual 3D imagery and videos and chat live with Syngenta field experts from around the world.

Supporting vulnerable communities in Kenya

September 17

During the lockdown of major cities in Kenya due the Covid-19 pandemic, markets have been affected. In an effort to support farmers, the team at Syngenta Kenya bought farm products from identified struggling farmers and donated these to needy communities and facilities within the same regions. These communities included children's homes, homes for the elderly and also families that have been displaced due the recent floods.

Syngenta Singapore cares

September 14

The coronavirus pandemic spares no one. In Singapore, health care and migrant workers are two groups whose lives and livelihoods have been affected most. Employees at Syngenta Singapore made the donation of essential goods to several charities supporting migrant workers possible. They and their family members also crafted cards to thank and encourage health care workers, heroes at the frontline of fighting the pandemic.

Syngenta donates protective masks to Pfumvudza program in Zimbabwe

September 10

Syngenta is contributing to Zimbabwe's climate smart agriculture initiative "Pfumvudza" through helping to train agricultural extension workers (AEW). Even in times of the coronavirus pandemic, these trainers continue to interact with farmers to ensure all crops will be planted and monitored according to the conservation farming techniques of the Pfumvudza initiative. Syngenta Zimbabwe has donated 4,000 Covid-19 compliant mask for distribution to these AEWs.

Donating PPE to a hospital in Nairobi

September 3

The Syngenta team in Kenya is reaching out and supporting affected communities during this Covid-19 pandemic. They provided personal protective equipment (PPE) and cleaning disinfectants to St. Mary’s Mission Hospital, a fully funded hospital that focuses on providing affordable healthcare, located in one of the hardest hit areas in Nairobi, Kenya.

Helping to feed those in need

August 31

The Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest North Carolina in the US has seen a 65% increase in food requests per week as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Through our partnership with Walther Farms, Syngenta donated more than 18,000 kilos of potatoes to the food bank helping them fight hunger in the community.

Protecting health and safety of frontline workers in India

August 27

The pandemic has brought to fore the critical role played by frontline workers including health care professionals, police and sanitation personnel who have been working tirelessly to ensure basic services. Syngenta in India is supporting the efforts to protect their health and safety. So far, we have provided over 180,000 masks, 2,700 personal protective equipment (PPE) kits, 1,000 liters of sanitizers to the frontline personnel. Additionally, we have supported government authorities sanitize 100 villages in the states of Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh.

Navigating Covid-19 news related to ag policies

August 24

The global impact of Covid-19 continues to expose existing structural challenges in agriculture. While governments are facing tough trade-offs when considering how to ease the lockdowns, there is increasing focus on how to mitigate the longer-term effects of Covid-19. The Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture launched a new service called SFSA Policy Watch. Its main aim is to help readers navigate Covid-19 news related to agriculture policy responses, access to financial services, and supply-demand dynamics, with a focus on smallholder agriculture in Africa and Asia.

Fighting malaria while fighting Covid-19

August 20

When the WHO urged countries to minimize disruptions to malaria prevention and treatment services in sub-Saharan Africa during the Covid-19 pandemic, Syngenta’s Vector Control team offered extra support to national malaria programs. It has donated surgical masks and bottles of hand sanitizer to the National Malaria Control Programs of Senegal and Ethiopia, as well as masks to the program in Zimbabwe, while also keeping up knowledge-sharing activities via phone and video calls.

Helping people in need to keep themselves safe

August 17

With the wearing of face coverings in shops and on public transport being made mandatory by the UK Government, Syngenta Huddersfield donated 2,000 washable face coverings, as well as 1,000 pint-sized bottles of hand sanitizer to communities in the local area. In addition, a batch of hand sanitizer and 1,000 face coverings were made available directly to The Welcome Centre Food Bank in Huddersfield, so their clients aren't faced with the additional costs of keeping themselves safe.

Short videos support the summer season in Austria and Germany

August 10

With the coronavirus pandemic changing the way we work to keep everyone safe and healthy, Syngenta Austria and Germany are continuing their virtual field inspections throughout the summer season. Since the spring, we kept customers informed about the development of arable and specialty crops with short field videos from local trial sites. For the digital summer field days, a professional camera team shot 130 new videos at 13 locations.

#MaskingForAFriend encourages health and safety

August 6

Syngenta has a culture of keeping everyone safe and healthy. During the coronavirus pandemic, personal initiative and accountability are as important as policies and regulations around health and safety. Syngenta colleagues in North America are participating in the #MaskingForAFriend campaign. They are sporting themselves wearing face masks to help prevent the spread of the virus and protect the health and safety of those around them.

Protecting field workers of the Ministry of Agriculture in Ethiopia

August 3

Syngenta Ethiopia donated personal protective equipment – face masks, bottles of hand sanitizers and surgical hand gloves – to the Ethiopian Ministry of Agriculture to support the country through COVID-19. Though most of the Ministry’s regulatory team are working from home, about 56 field workers are on the ground facilitating the import of agrochemicals at border customs check points to ensure business continuity in agriculture.

Supporting frontline medical personnel in Zambia

July 29

Syngenta Zambia has donated personal protective equipment to the Ministry of Health, supporting frontline medical personnel through the Covid-19 pandemic. The donation included 10,000 disposal non-woven face masks, 10,000 medical examination gloves, 150 pieces of medical disposal personal protective equipment and 30 knapsack sprayers.

Agrarian workshop in the Ukraine going virtual

Monday, July 27

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, field tours and regional field days in the Ukraine had to be replaced by online format. Modern technologies allowed Syngenta Ukraine to provide growers with information about our products in a new hybrid format, including videos from the field, an interactive show and live-stream discussions with farmers. There were two separate broadcasts of the agrarian workshop according to the different agroclimatic zones.

Solidarity campaign at Syngenta Brazil

July 24

Syngenta Brazil launched a solidarity action entitled "Dá Match!" with the purpose of matching its employees’ donations directed to the communities where it operates. For each donation in kind, food or hygiene items made by the employees to institutions of their choice, Syngenta Brazil makes a contribution of equal value to an entity indicated by the donor.

Standing beside farmers in Bangladesh

July 22

The Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture has launched its latest project to help in the fight against the coronavirus in Bangladesh. In five districts in North Bengal, the team has organized multiple Covid-19 awareness events for farmers including the distribution of safety materials and agriculture inputs such as rice and vegetable seeds through its partner organizations in compliance with social distancing norms. Local administration and government officials have also participated in these events.

Keeping customers engaged in South America

July 17

Across Mexico and South America, our technical sales reps and product development specialists have been keeping customers engaged through very successful virtual field days. The meetings allow teams and customers to review business progress, market analysis, trial plans and identify opportunities. At the same time, the virtual events have helped to keep the business running with over 1,500 trials planted and evaluated.

Supporting the most vulnerable in Kenya

July 15

The Covid-19 pandemic has had an economic impact on the ornamentals industry in East Africa and globally. In a "Flowers 4 Food" initiative, we have partnered with Oserian Flowers Ltd. to support the community in setting up a vegetable farm that will provide nutrition to the most vulnerable in the workforce during this period when staple foods are escalating in price and there is scarcity in supply. As part of this initiative, we have donated vegetable seeds and CP solutions to ensure the project’s success. Oserian has about 4,500 employees with 3,000 dependents.

Supporting frontline workers in Indonesia

July 13

As the coronavirus pandemic continues in Indonesia, our Gunung Puteri Crop Protection Production Plant team are helping to prevent the spread of the disease. A total of 5,200 masks, four disinfectant sprayers, 50 face shields, alcohol, disinfectants, and nutrient products such as milk, honey, and Vitamin C have been distributed to three community health centers, police stations, and members of the communities around our Gunung Puteri Plant.

Formulation plant in Singapore adapts production

July 8

The Malaysian movement-control order to prevent further spread of the coronavirus restricted the movement of some of the staff at the Syngenta formulation plant. Employees adapted quickly and took on multiple roles to make up for the positions vacant because of border controls, e.g. the maintenance manager taking on the role of being a mechanic. At the same time, strict Covid-19 hygiene and safety standards have been implemented.

Helping to feed people in need in the US

July 6

Our Greensboro site in the US is supporting the Out of the Garden Project to help to feed people in need in the local community. The Project is currently serving more than 1,300 people per day versus the 200 to 300 normally served due to an increase in unemployment and other impacts of the coronavirus pandemic.

Recruiting and onboarding in times of the coronavirus

July 3

As we continue our operations and deliver products and services to farmers so they can feed the world, we also continued our recruitment and onboarding activities. Interviews for a variety of positions – internship students, technical sales representatives and area sales managers in Russia, Uruguay and the US – as well as induction sessions for new joiners were held virtually using online video conferencing tools.

Virtual anniversary tour through Italy

July 1

Syngenta Italy’s Cereals Plus roadshow has been a key event for farmers, agronomists, mills, and pasta producers to promote and strengthen the image of pasta, biscuits and bread made in Italy. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, its 10-year anniversary roadshow went digital – with virtual field visits across Italy, live streaming session and webinars, and an online event page.

Distributing food to those in need in India

June 29

Responding to the Covid-19 situation, Syngenta India distributed food to 500 members of the Akshaya Patra Foundation for one month to farmers, laborers and daily wage workers at Hubli Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee. The Akshaya Patra Foundation is a non-profit organization that runs school lunch programs across India. Hubli APMC is a marketing board established by the state government to ensure farmers are safeguarded from exploitation. 

Experience flowers on a virtual tour

June 26

When Flower Trials, a well-established event in The Netherlands, was canceled, Syngenta Flowers decided to offer a digital experience of our latest flowers, best sellers and innovations by developing a Syngenta Flowers Virtual Tour. It uses Google Virtual Tour Technology – also known as Google Street View. As a virtual event, it has unlimited opening hours so customers can access it at the moment of their preference – independent of their time zone.

Fresh produce, floods and video calls in Bangladesh

June 24

The coronavirus pandemic is impacting different aspects of people’s lives. In Bangladesh, the Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture is responding to these challenges: ensuring fresh produce reaches consumers while farmers continue earning a fair income, overcoming labor shortages when crops are ready to harvest, and keeping staff and partners safe, connected and motivated.

Read more on the Syngenta Foundation website

Using satellite imagery in field trials in Turkey

June 22

In Turkey, farmers appealed for lockdown exemption from the government and were granted it. While the fields are being tended, Syngenta teams are continuing field trials and monitoring with FarmShots™, our digital tool that uses satellite and drone imagery analysis to help detect diseases, pests and poor plant nutrition. We are also partnering with local teams to support growers and seed multipliers as travelling to them is not currently an option.

Donating face masks to local families in Thailand

Friday, June 19

In a crisis like the current coronavirus pandemic, working together and pooling resources is imperative. The team at our site in Tak Fah, Thailand, supported the health promotion of the Nong Soi Tong hospital and donated 1,500 face masks. The face masks were then distributed by volunteers to 500 families in local villages.

Syngenta appreciates US truck drivers

June 16

During these difficult times due to Covid-19, drivers are required to remain in their truck while onsite at our plant in St. Gabriel, US. Our logistics team there started an initiative to support these essential workers: each driver entering the site is given a “goodie bag” containing water and snacks to enjoy while their truck is being loaded.

Returning to our offices in Basel safely

June 15

When the government in Switzerland announced a gradual relaxation of the coronavirus measures, arrangements for a safe return to our offices at the Basel Headquarters were made. Feedback from colleagues participating in a test run was incorporated and now, employees work on a split-team basis, alternating between the Basel site and their home office. On their return to the site, employees received a welcome package including a useful brochure about safety measures and physical distancing on site, a face mask – and chocolate.

Syngenta donates to Golf Course Superintendents Association of America

June 12

To help GCSAA members who have been impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic, Syngenta has donated $15,000 to the GCSAA Disaster Relief Fund. GCSAA established the Disaster Relief Fund after Hurricane Katrina in 2006 to be able to assist members who had suffered personal loss. Since then, the fund has been a resource for members who have fallen victim to other natural disasters such as tornadoes, flooding, wildfires and now the Covid-19 pandemic.

Sharing Syngenta’s seeds portfolio virtually in Zimbabwe

June 11

Faced with limitations on customer events due to the coronavirus situation, our Zimbabwe team organized a virtual field day with a focus on growing peas for export markets. The virtual event allowed our pea/bean breeder in the US to deliver a great presentation live from the US about Syngenta’s efforts in pea breeding, while local experts covered the technical part and presented our varieties.

Distributing groceries to the local community in India

June 10

In India, the lockdown of the country to stop the spread of the coronavirus has also made it difficult for many to earn a living – and thus provide for themselves. Our teams from the Mulani site in Maharashtra state have been distributing groceries to the local community to support them during the challenging times of the coronavirus outbreak.

Producing face masks with a 3D-printer

June 9

One of the measures to protect yourself and others from being infected with Covid-19 is wearing a face mask. Colleagues at the melon field trial sites in Spain are using their own 3D-printed face masks which are safer because of their better fit.

Virtual tours of glasshouse at Jealott’s Hill, UK

June 8

Our Research Biology Weed Control Team at Jealott's Hill in the UK has ensured business continuity through virtual glasshouse tours. Due to the requirements of social distancing, much fewer staff can work at our glasshouse at the same time. So they planned and implemented virtual glasshouse tours via Zoom, using a smart phone as a mobile camera. With everyone able to see the units, they could discuss progress of the experiments in real time.

Supporting US local communities during the coronavirus outbreak

June 5

The coronavirus pandemic has not only impacted people’s health. There’s an influx of people in many communities who are affected by unemployment due to the coronavirus restrictions and who are in need of food, medical equipment, housing and other supplies. Syngenta’s Greensboro and St. Gabriel sites in the US are supporting local organization by providing meals and offering much-needed food bank supplies.

Healthy farmers and business alternatives in Indonesia

June 4

Ensuring food security in the world’s fourth most populous country is a crucial challenge, more so with the constraints and restrictions in a pandemic directly affecting farmers and the food supply chain. The Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture is supporting the government’s health awareness campaign to slow the spread of COVID-19, particularly among farmers. And its ‘Pancer Tani’ agri-service centers are stepping up their capabilities to run technical discussions, field reports, as well as training via phone and digital meeting platforms.
Read more on the Syngenta Foundation website

Learning online about sustainable agriculture

June 3

In times when face-to-face training isn’t possible due to the coronavirus restrictions, Syngenta France launched the e-academy “Aiming for Zero Impact”. The goal is to help farmers train to adopt good practices. Courses will eventually cover all practices related to the environment – biodiversity, water, soil and air – and the safety of people. Find out more (in French)

Free movement of people working in agriculture is important

June 2

When a country goes into lockdown to minimize the spread of Covid-19, there are people working in essential sectors that cannot do their jobs from home – agricultural workers among them. In the Philippines, we are equipping our employees with supporting material to help explaining at checkpoints the importance of free movement of agricultural inputs and of people producing food.

Making a contribution to Covid-19 testing in the UK

June 1

In times of coronavirus, it’s not only personal protective equipment that’s in short supply but also reagents used as part of Covid-19 testing. One such reagent consists of micron-sized silica-coated magnetic beads. Syngenta uses these in DNA and RNA extractions from seeds and plant materials, and has experience in producing them at our in-house lab at Jealott’s Hill, UK. So, when our collaborators from Sheffield University, who are supporting coronavirus testing for local Sheffield hospitals, asked for our help procuring these magnetic beads, we were able to supply them with 200 grams. That’s enough for tens of thousands of tests.

Providing PPE to help medical personnel in Thailand

May 28

Syngenta Thailand has donated personal protective equipment (PPE) to hospitals run by the Ministry of Public Health, the Army, the Ministry of Defense and the Internal Security Operations Command, to protect medical personnel while on duty during the spread of the coronavirus. This equipment will help all personnel to work with confidence, safety and more efficiency.

Working safely when working from home isn’t possible

May 26

Physical distancing by working from home is one of the measures to lower the risk of infection in the Covid-19 pandemic. However, a large part of our research and development work involves the physical handling of plants and needs to be done in labs, greenhouses and in the field. So we apply precautionary measures when working on-site to keep people safe while maintaining critical work, including personal protective equipment, spacing out people, and radio communications.

Making a contribution to Foodbank Australia

May 25

Australian communities have been suffering through a severe drought and devastating bushfires and the recovery will take many years. And now the social and economic impact of Covid-19 puts further pressure on people who need aid the most. The crisis recovery effort has now been given a financial boost with Syngenta’s donation of $100,000 to Foodbank Australia.

Read more

Taking the garden to US school kids’ homes

May 22

In many countries, school closures are part of the measures to contain the coronavirus. In the US, our Woodland team in California has partnered with the charity Yolo Farm to Fork to offer “Garden on the Grow” care packages for low-income families. Each box contains plant starts, seeds, pots, soil and care instructions. In a first step, the Woodland team donated 1,400 peat pellets and 500 seed packets. They will continue their support of Yolo Farm to Fork and have proposed a specialized teacher kits to support teachers with engaging distance learning activities.

Adjusting our ways of working in trialing

May 21

With travel restrictions due to Covid-19 impacting our vegetable seeds trialing work, the Syngenta team decided to reset their approach to trials, developing digital tools for breeders and trialists to be able to evaluate trials without physically visiting them. One of these tools is a database in which images and videos taken in the field can be stored and tagged with critical information. The team is hosting a series of webinars for breeders to explain the platform and has set up an online team space where they can continue to share ideas, initiatives and experiences.

Providing meals to health-care workers in the Philippines

May 20

Because of the overwhelming number of patients at the hospitals in the Philippines due to the Covid-19 pandemic, many of the health-care workers are working long hours. Often, they don’t have time to prepare their own meals and some do not even go home to protect their families. Syngenta employees in the Philippines raised funds to provide meals twice a week to health-care workers in three hospitals in the metropolitan area of Manila and one hospital in the province Pangasinan.

Farmers’ Hubs help Kenyan farmers adapt to the pandemic

May 19

The coronavirus pandemic is disrupting agricultural value chains worldwide and thus threatening food security. The many vulnerable populations include smallholders. In Kenya, the onset of Covid-19 coincided with the start of the ‘long rains’, just when farmers were setting out to plant. The Syngenta Foundation’s Farmers’ Hubs play a key role in helping deal with the restrictions necessary to fight the pandemic at this time critical for agriculture.
Read more on the Syngenta Foundation website

Supporting our employees in times of the coronavirus

May 18

Since the outbreak Covid-19, we moved to working from home and introduced measures protecting our employees wherever working from home was not possible. Throughout the pandemic, we are supporting our employees to deal with the new realities: We have set up employee portals and helplines giving updates on the local coronavirus situation, answering questions on the disease and how to protect yourself, providing tips on how to work from home effectively and best organize your family life to keep a healthy work-life-balance.

North America team turns to social media to support truck drivers

May 14

Truck drivers play a critical role in getting supplies like seeds for planting to farmers on time – and because many places are currently not accessible due to Covid-19 related closings, tips such as where drivers can grab a bite to eat or other essentials have become invaluable. Our North America Logistics team created a new closed Facebook group titled ‘Syngenta Bulk Transportation’, inviting carrier dispatchers, drivers, terminal personnel, and Syngenta personnel to share verified information regarding infrastructure on the road. Other postings include weather updates or requirements at loading terminals.

Working together: providing hand sanitizer to hospitals in Brazil

May 13

The hand sanitizer industry is facing a lot of challenges to produce the high volumes needed to meet current demand due to the coronavirus situation. To help reduce the shortage, Syngenta Brazil engaged with a toll manufacturer to fill and package 45,000 dispenser-ready bottles of hand sanitizer. Our logistics partner then contributed by distributing the bottles at no cost to hospitals and clinics across 18 cities in 8 states where we have sites.

Finding new ways to connect with growers in India

May 12

Our Vegetable Seeds team in India continues to expand the use of technology to stay connected with growers. The team reacted quickly to the current Covid-19 challenges by developing video content to share information related to our products and hygiene measures while also expressing thanks to growers. The team created more than 1,250 videos highlighting key products for the India region. Zoom, text messaging, social channels and phone calls were all used to stay close to growers.

Helping the UK Government in this testing time

May 11

Our Jealott’s Hill site in the UK received a formal request to loan our Kingfisher Flex96 DNA washing equipment to the UK Government to be used in their new testing mega-lab in Milton Keynes. Although most of our employees aren’t working on-site due to precautionary measures during the Covid-19 pandemic, it was decontaminated, prepared for shipping, and all the administration done with Downing Street in just 3 days. The British Army came to collect it and took it straight into service helping meet the challenge of achieving 100,000 tests per day.

Successful start of production in Argentina

May 8

Typically, a new product introduction requires production and supply specialists from Syngenta working closely together with our toll manufacturer’s team. With access to tolling installations much restricted due to Covid-19, we looked to alternative ways of working such as video conferencing, mobile phone messaging, photos and videos to successfully manage the start of production and ensure important updates and reviews of progress.

Staying close to US growers in challenging times

May 7

Choosing which seeds to plant is a decision based not only on facts but also on trust – trust in the people you meet face-to-face. Going into the spring planting season in the US, our sales representatives and agronomists normally hold face-to-face meetings with growers to cover information on our seeds products and agronomic advice they need to consider before buying. In order to keep people safe in times of the coronavirus pandemic, the team held these meetings online using a video conferencing tool instead. Engaging with growers digitally was new for many, but the attendance and feedback has been very positive, and we’ll be continuing to use online meetings with growers in the future.

Keeping our retailers safe in South Korea

May 6

Agriculture has been declared an essential sector of the economy around the world, so food can continue to be grown. Syngenta is helping to keep people working in agriculture safe from the risk of infection with Covid-19. In South Korea, we provided agricultural retailers in the most affected province with 48,000 face masks and 1,000 bottles of hand sanitizers, so growers can visit them safely.

Working onsite in Enkhuizen during Covid-19

May 5

Our priority in times of the coronavirus is to protect the health and safety of our people and one of our measures is to work from home. But not all tasks can be performed from the home office, our R&D work for instance often requires the specific set-up of a laboratory. Some of our colleagues at the Syngenta Flowers lab in Enkhuizen, The Netherlands, share their experiences of working during this challenging time.

Read more

Supporting Argentinian science in the fight of Covid-19

April 30

When the Covid-19 pandemic began in Argentina, the Syngenta team wanted to support the diagnostic work being carried out by the Malbrán Institute, a reference center for the study of the virus. Our genotyping team donated thermocyclers for the detection of Covid-19, as well as general laboratory equipment.

Helping local communities in the US

April 29

Teams at our production sites in the US have worked with local organizations to help meet the escalating needs of the health-care community as the Covid-19 outbreak continues. In Omaha, Nebraska, we have provided containers and our employees have donated their time so that more than 2,000 gallons of hand sanitizer can be packaged and sent to hospitals, first responders, and others during the pandemic. And our Nampa site in Idaho is supporting the Crush The Curve Idaho initiative by donating 6,000 nitrile gloves as well as 80 N95 face masks.

Thailand site delivers hand-made face shields to local hospitals

April 28

Thailand has been impacted by the coronavirus pandemic and, like in so many other countries, demand for personal protective equipment (PPE) for medical staff is outstripping supply. The team at our site in Bangpoo stepped in and made 2,000 face shields. Together with other PPE, they donated them to Ramathibodi Chakri Naruebodindra hospital, Samut Prakan hospital, and Chon Buri hospital located near our site.

Making sure growers in Hungary can plant

April 27

Agricultural work cannot be suspended – growers need to plant for the 2020 season regardless of Covid-19. But it’s important to protect both growers and employees at our seeds site in Hungary and prevent the spread of coronavirus. So, only one grower at a time may enter the site, seeds loading and unloading is performed outside the warehouse, and face masks and disposable gloves are mandatory to all entering the warehouse.

Leveraging the creativity of our scientists

April 24

Keeping our employees safe is paramount during the coronavirus pandemic. So when at our research and development site in Stein, Switzerland, an order of hands-free door openers was delayed, one of our scientists used a 3D-printer to produce PLA-based hands-free door openers. PLA stands for polylactic acid and is derived from renewable sources, such as corn starch or sugarcane.

Indian agri-entrepreneurs bring relief to locked-down farmers

April 23

The Covid-19 pandemic has consequences far beyond viral infection. In many businesses, entire livelihoods are at stake – and smallholders are particularly vulnerable. The lockdown in India adds another burden. Working with the Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture, over 1,100 trained agri-entrepreneurs are reaching out to farmers on to create awareness on hygiene and sanitation.

Read more on the Syngenta Foundation website

Continued support of health care workers in Europe

April 22

Our teams across Europe are doing their part to thank the health care workers for their tireless efforts in time of coronavirus: In the Ukraine, Syngenta gave a donation to a local charity who is purchasing and delivering personal protective equipment to hospitals. Our team in St Pierre la Garenne, France donated 12,000 masks to the Regional Health Authority. And our Seeds processing production plant in Mezőtúr, Hungary donated 1,500 masks to a local hospital and ambulance teams.

Finding new ways to support growers in Italy

April 17

'Social distancing' isn’t stopping our agronomists from helping farmers. In Italy, we're using satellite imagery to continue advising growers how to best protect their crops. Our FarmShots™ solution analyzes satellite and drone imagery. The images help growers quickly and accurately spot any field issues caused by emergence, poor plant nutrition, crop diseases, weeds and environmental damage – allowing them to intervene effectively and protect their crops.

Raising awareness of hygiene measures in Indonesia and Bangladesh

April 16

Syngenta is conducting awareness campaigns amongst farmers and retailers to prevent the spread of Covid-19. In Indonesia, we are providing hand washing facilities at Syngenta retailers, as well as posters outlining how to wash your hands properly in times of coronavirus. In Bangladesh, where internet connectivity can be a challenge, we are sending text messages sharing personal safety and security techniques to growers and channel partners.

Supporting local communities around the world

April 8

Syngenta employees around the world are helping their local communities to fight Covid-19. The team at our research station in Kaha in North Cairo, Egypt, regularly sanitizes our site as well as the neighboring villages. In Pakistan, where day laborers are unable to earn a living due to the lockdown, Syngenta colleagues are preparing food parcels and depositing them outside the affected people's homes. Many hospitals have been overwhelmed by the pandemic and are facing shortages of much needed equipment. In both Romania and Spain, Syngenta has donated personal protective equipment to health-care workers. And in Argentina, Syngenta donated five ventilators to the Ministry of Health, which will distribute them to hospitals in need.

Virtual field inspections replace farmers field days in the DACH countries

April 7

Due to Coronavirus, the annual spring field days with customers have to be cancelled. Syngenta Germany, Austria and Switzerland are now offering farmers the new digital service "virtual field inspections" and advice with the start of the field season. Weekly videos are published on the country’s websites to keep customers up to date with crop protection and crop management recommendations. In Germany, the virtual offer will run until middle of the year in the ten most important growing regions for all main crops.

Supporting Chinese farmers through online broadcasts

March 30

Since the start of the coronavirus outbreak, our team in China has not only actively responded to government measures to ensure the safety and health of employees, but has also been active in promoting the safety of our customers. With spring ploughing about to begin, we have launched a series of 'Live Technology Lectures’. Through online broadcasts, technical experts across China will share agricultural knowledge, provide technical services and answer any questions our customers may have.

Africa: a different look at COVID-19

March 27

The coronavirus outbreak continues to worsen in many countries, including those with large numbers of smallholder farmers. Simon Winter, Executive Director of the Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture, reflects on the pandemic in the context of agricultural development and global food security.

Read more on the Syngenta Foundation website

Switzerland: Syngenta to supply hand sanitizer

March 24

In response to an urgent appeal by Swiss authorities, our production site in Monthey has joined forces with Huntsman to produce and donate 50 tons of hand sanitizer to local hospitals and pharmacies.

Read the media release

Choosing to stand together - Letter from the CEO

March 20

“This year will surely go down in history, not just for the pandemic, but for the many ways in which people are choosing to stand together.” Erik Fyrwald

Read our CEO letter