Hazera Genetics, a leading company in field of breeding, production and marketing of hybrid seeds for vegetables and field crops, is assisting Chinese growers in rehabilitating the sector that was damaged by the Tomato Yellow Leaf Curl virus (TYLCV), that caused harm to hundreds of millions of hectares in the Shandong province in Western China. The virus dealt a heavy blow to Chinese agriculture, since this is the livelihood of hundreds of thousands of farmers, with the losses estimated to total tens of millions of dollars. The price of one kilogram of fresh tomatoes in Beijing’s wholesale markets has increased, from two to five fold, and currently prices are the highest recorded in decades, ranging from 60 cents to $1.2. The difficulty in overcoming the virus is due to the fact that tomato growing fields are densely concentrated in Shandong province, and they are grown all year long. These factors contribute to a chain of infection by the TYLCV that is very hard to break.

The only possible solution is growing tomato varieties that are resistant to the virus. With the aim of restoring the Chinese tomato growing sector, which is one of the most important agricultural sectors in China, the Chinese have realized that the answer lies in tomato varieties by Hazera Genetics, that breeds and produces various varieties of tomatoes that are resistant to the Yellow Leaf Curl virus. As part of the rehabilitation activities and information services to growers, over recent months Hazera Genetics has conducted a series of conferences in which growers are provided with information about the scientific aspects of infection by the virus that has attacked their crops, and methods of dealing with it, alongside presentation of Hazera tomato varieties that are virus resistant. Rehabilitation of the tomato sector in China requires re-sowing of TYLCV resistant varieties, and this constitutes a business opportunity for Hazera Genetics, that is forecast to double its market share in China in 2010.