The agreement will entail joint research and development in the areas of native and GM traits, hybrid wheat and the combination of seeds and crop protection to accelerate plant yield performance.

"Global wheat production is increasing at only 0.9 per cent each year," said Hans-Joachim Braun, Director of CIMMYT's Global Wheat Program.

"This is a very critical issue as global demand is growing at 1.5% or more annually. Combined with the impacts of climate change, we must avoid the risk of another food crisis and ensure farmers across the world are equipped to meet the demands of a rising world population. Partnerships like this can greatly benefit the world's farmers, rich and poor."

The agreement will leverage Syngenta's highly developed genetic marker technology, advanced traits platform and wheat breeding for the developed world, along with CIMMYT's access to wheat genetic diversity, global partnership network, and wheat breeding program targeted to the developing world.

Wheat is a key crop for Syngenta; this partnership will strengthen the company's global presence and reinforce its position as a leader in the worldwide commercial wheat seeds market. This market is expected to increase in value as new technologies are introduced.

For CIMMYT, the partnership will strengthen its ability to use world wheat genetic resources and cutting-edge technologies to develop robust wheat varieties for disadvantaged farmers in developing countries and public research systems worldwide.