Bayer's Crop Science division, Zone Agtech, and Axceta have officially signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to launch a three-party collaboration aimed at developing an innovation consortium to advance AgriTech and greenhouse technology in Quebec and across Canada. This strategic collaboration will drive the development and adoption of digital and IoT-based technologies, positioning the consortium as a leader in smart agriculture.
"We are proud that Bayer has chosen Quebec as the foundation for developing the Canadian market, thanks to the strong network of partners within Zone Agtech, Axceta's technological expertise - already contributing to Bayer's innovations - and the depth of Quebec's AI ecosystem.", said Marilou Cyr, general director of Zone Agtech.
The consortium will be structured around Bayer's HortiView platform, a digital crop management solution designed for international horticultural production markets. In its beta version, HortiView offers a range of management tools developed by third-party solution providers including but not limited to pre-harvest functionalities to help producers optimize seasonal planning, fertigation, irrigation, and disease control. The vision is to simplify primary data collection and enable growers to benefit from a curated marketplace of modular, connected agronomic services that support data-driven decisions that help them maximize crop production and optimize resource use.
"The Canadian horticulture industry is highly advanced, diverse and innovation-oriented, which makes it an ideal environment to deploy novel digital solutions to support farmers," said Chris Pienaar, Global Fruit & Vegetable Digital New Value Lead, Bayer. "We are pleased to be working with Zone Agtech and Axceta to further develop HortiView platform and accelerate the agtech space in Canada – all while improving efficiency and productivity for growers. They are excellent partners to take this solution to the next level."