Kaiima

Israeli-based agri-biotech company Kaaima develops and breeds castor hybrids with high productivity for use across large-scale agricultural systems. The company aims to provide solutions that sustainably increase the global production of castor beans, castor oil and its derivatives, fertilizers, and raw materials produced from castor oil.

Kaiima formerly developed crop improvement technology for various crop categories; however, in October 2017, it reported that it would refocus its operations on the castor seed and oil business. For the implementation of its changed strategy, the company sold its vegetable breeding business Top Seeds to Mitsui & Co.

The company’s platform CastorMaxx platform is a cultivation system that increases castor productivity while offering higher yields and benefits to growers. The platform’s functionality includes breeding, crop management, research, and developing customized castor farming to fit the needs of different markets. The improved crop breeding results in the potential for two harvests per year with a crop yield of ~3,000 kg per hectare under ideal conditions and with Kaiima’s harvesting protocols.

It has five registered hybrid castor seeds, produced with its CastorMaxx platform: Tamar, Mia, Kariel, KS 2019, and KS 2030, and also has other hybrids in the development phases.

Key customers and partnerships 

Kaiima partnered with other companies to develop high-yielding new hybrids including the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in June 2013 and Horizon Ag LLC in November 2016 for rice hybrids. It also partnered with Kunshan Keteng Biological Science and Technology Co. in December 2014 and Beck’s Hybrid in May 2017 for corn hybrids. 

Following Kaiima’s refocused strategy to castor oil, in March 2019, it partnered with Mexican castor product supplier BioFields to establish a joint venture, BioKaiima, which would develop and commercialize castor seed hybrids in Mexico. It then partnered with Brazillian biotech company Embrapa to develop high-yielding, climate-resistant castor bean cultivars in April 2023.