Siniša Jocić, Climate Crops member, was awarded with the golden cup at Novosadski sajam for his scientific achievements. As part of the committee’s award ceremony for Best in Agribusiness, several awards were given in different categories. Dr. Jocić won the award for his innovative research on sunflower genetics and production. He is actively working on developing new hybrids and comes up with strategies for mitigating the effects of climate change on agriculture.

The sunflower hybrids developed by the Institute of Crop and Vegetable Agriculture Novi Sad, national institute of the Republic of Serbia, are cultivated in about 30 countries worldwide. They span from Japan to Argentina and from Finland to the Republic of South Africa, with significant presence in the European Union, Russia, and Ukraine, the largest sunflower-producing regions.

The Novi Sad Institute also created the first herbicide-resistant sunflower hybrid, RIMISOL, which has been cultivated on more than 3 million hectares globally. Dr. Jocić, the creator of these sunflower hybrids, has developed 529 hybrids to date. Of these, 98 hybrids are registered in Serbia and 431 internationally. Annually, Dr. Jocić’s hybrids are grown on over 2 million hectares worldwide, accounting for 10% of global sunflower production.

Winners stand with their awards on the ceremony