Asia: East-West Group to produce plant seeds for markets in China and India.

Section: Business News - The East-West Group is to join the host of companies competing to feed the immense populations of India and China with better-quality seeds, the Bangkok Post reports.

The East-West Group, which has already expanded from the Philippines to Thailand, aims develop operations in more lucrative markets, where it intends to challenge established players.

East-West is among the market leaders in Thailand and the Philippines. It describes the immense population of countries such as India and China as a great opportunity that will require support from research and development.

But companies such as Namdhari in India, with a dominant national presence in providing seeds for better-yielding crops, could be extremely tough to challenge.

Although India's fast-growing market has already attracted many multinational seed companies, the East-West Group is aiming to be among the top five companies in the country within five years.

The expansion into India and China is part of regional investment plans …