Sorghum and Solutions
The global market & RAGT
Sorghum is the 5th most widely grown cereal in the world, with 40 million hectares and a production of around 65 million tonnes. Africa accounts for 40% of the world’s sorghum area, followed by the Americas. Nearly 50% of the world’s sorghum production is used for human consumption. Animal feed accounts for 45%. A small proportion is used to produce ethanol, biogas and bio-materials.
RAGT markets sorghum on 5 continents and in 30 countries worldwide. RAGT has been working with sorghum since 1975 and relies on two breeding programmes, one in Argentina and the other in France.
These programmes are complementary and enable us to address the needs of the largest possible number of farmers.
Present in 5 continents
Two brands RAGT and Tobin in Argentina
50 years of expertise
Our Common challenges
Sorghum is appreciated by livestock farmers for its nutritional qualities. This is why it is eaten by most farm animals: chickens, pigs, ducks, ruminants and aquaculture. Compared with maize, its energy content is superior to that of maize, and its protein content is significantly higher. Finally, sorghum is very rich in Leucine and Valine, which are good for muscle development. The food industry chooses sorghum for its recognised nutritional qualities: energy-rich, naturally gluten-free, rich in antioxidants, rich in iron, phosphorus, magnesium and vitamins, and GMO-free. Sorghum is easy to grow in the field. There are a few points to bear in mind. It is sensitive to cold and requires a minimum soil temperature of 12°C, which is why it is sown late. Controlling weeds is a tricky task. Lastly, since 2013, the yellow aphid has had a considerable impact on sorghum crops in America.
RAGT for farmers: yield, stability, and also
Faced with its sensitivity to cold, RAGT offers two levers to facilitate its establishment: one genetic with the high vigour varieties VIGORplus® and the other via FORTIFY®, a biostimulant applied to the seed.
To combat yellow aphids in the Americas, RAGT has selected tolerant varieties. Marketed in Latin America under the Tobin brand, these tolerant varieties benefit from SProtect® technology. This limits the use of insecticides on the crop.
Finally, for controlled weed management, RAGT offers different technologies depending on the country, such as ConcepC® (phyto-protector) or Igrowth® (Imazamox tolerance).
ConcepC: Syngenta registered trademark Igrowth: AltaSeeds registered trademark.
RAGT For Industries : Quality
Where you can find our varieties
Our sorghum solutions
Did you know ?
This is a species where genetic progress remains important and constant.
20 years ago, the yield of irrigated maize was the same as it is today without irrigation.
Reasons to grow SorghuM
- Sorghum is a C4 plant, giving it a higher photosynthetic yield in hot climates. Sorghum stands out in situations of water stress for 3 reasons: a powerful root system, a very strong capacity to regulate its evapotranspiration and an ability to operate at temperatures of up to 33° compared with 30° for maize and rice within keep a good pollination under stress and very hot temperature. without any loss of fertility. This makes it a highly competitive plant in conditions of extreme stress, and as a result, secure source of fodder for the gross margin and the fodder supply for livestock farms. It can also be used as a double crop in summer. (sorghum is the king crop for the summer CIVE for biogaz production)
- Agronomically, sorghum can be used to lengthen rotations in short rotation wheat/ sunflower systems, or rotations based exclusively on winter crops such as rape/wheat/barley or maize/soya. It's also a crop that saves on inputs and water.
- For livestock farmers, grain sorghum has excellent nutritional value for self-consumption. As forage or silage, sorghum improves the health of the herd and the quality of the milk (higher butyric rate, fewer cells and fewer butyrics). The fibrous nature of the ration reduces the risk of acidosis.
