GENEVA, Nov. 11 (Xinhua) -- World agrochemical giant Syngenta is committed to improving crop production and food security in China in a more sustainable way and contributing to the country's farming modernization with new digital innovations, its CEO Erik Fyrwald has told Xinhua.

"It was a fantastic opportunity to showcase the strong capabilities of our four business units - Seeds, Crop Protection, ADAMA and Syngenta Group China - as the leading agriculture technology and innovation company," Fyrwald said at the end of the third China International Import Expo (CIIE), which took place in Shanghai between Nov. 5-10.

"We develop and provide global solutions for local needs of farmers in more than 100 countries. We also want to showcase the important partnerships we have in China as we join hands for more sustainable and modernized agriculture," Fyrwald explained.

Syngenta Group, headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, is a global market leader in crop protection and the global number three in seeds. It was formed in June following a merger among Syngenta, bought by state-owned ChemChina for 43 billion U.S. dollars in 2017, Israel's crop protection company ADAMA and the agricultural business of China's Sinochem.

It was the first time that Syngenta Group had participated in the CIIE. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the third edition of the CIIE saw 72.62 billion dollars' worth of deals reached for intended one-year purchases of goods and services, up 2.1 percent from the last expo, according to official figures.

"As a global leader in agricultural science innovation, we have a great deal of expertise and many highly innovative technologies that improve crop production and therefore food security, while also ensuring food safety, health and doing so in a more environmentally friendly way," he said.

"We also support farmers to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by capturing carbon in the soil and to help contribute to China's goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2060," he said.

"Through partnerships with leading Chinese institutes we will work together to accelerate innovation to better serve the needs of farmers, the environment and society," Fyrwald added.

The company posted a 3-percent rise in sales in the first nine months of this year, despite significant headwinds from low commodity prices, extreme weather and the COVID-19 pandemic.

"We have delivered sustainable growth despite the challenging environment. All our businesses have delivered a solid performance and continue to grow. We are striving to keep the momentum to achieve our full-year business target," Fyrwald said.

"As a Chinese-owned company, we are demonstrating our ability to bring leading innovation to farmers all over the world," he said.

"With our world-class seeds, crop protection and crop nutrition businesses, we are convinced that the Syngenta Group China will become our growth engine. These capabilities all come together as a full solution set to farmers through our 300 MAP (Modern Agriculture Platform) Centers across China," he said.

"These centers bring world-leading capabilities, including the latest digital innovations that connect Chinese consumers to the farms that safely produce high-quality sustainable food products," he added.