Monsanto donates $4 million of seeds to Haiti

U.S. agriculture giant Monsanto is donating $4 million worth of seeds to earthquake-ravaged Haiti.

Monsanto said Friday the Haitian Ministry of Agriculture has approved the donation, ensuring the selected seeds are appropriate for Haitian growing conditions and farming practices.

Monsantos director of global development, Elizabeth Vancil, said the need in Haiti is "incredible." 

The first 60 tons of the 475-ton donation of seeds arrived in Haiti last week.  That shipment consisted of corn and vegetable seeds.  Upcoming seed shipments will also include cabbage, carrot, eggplant, melon, onion, tomato, spinach and watermelon.

Monsanto said the U.S. freight company UPS and the Switzerland-based logistics firm Kuehne and Nagel are donating their services to the seed program.

Seed distribution in Haiti is being handled by the WINNER project, a program designed to increase farmer productivity funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development.

Haitis devastating earthquake in January left at least 217,000 people dead and one million others homeless. 

Haiti is the Western Hemispheres poorest country.