Syngenta reorganizing flower departments and closing soybean seed production facility in Minnesota,US

Syngenta announced its plan to reorganize its global research and development operations in flowers. This department is active in Enkhuizen and Andijk in the Netherlands, and Gilroy in the United States. Because of changes in the global flower market and shifts in consumption patterns, Syngenta is looking to focus more on strategic crops and unique technologies.

Syngenta tried to sell their flower and vegetable seed divisions before. A previous takeover bid by Monsanto didn't go through.

In the Netherlands, around 20 jobs will be lost in the flowers research and development department due to the reorganization. Jeroen Brandenburg of Dutch trade union FNV Agrarisch Groen comments: "For us it also remains to be seen how this acquisition process of Syngenta will develop."

Syngenta has indicated that this will cost at least 20 of the 180 jobs in this department.

In addition, Syngenta also announced last Thursday it will close operations at its soybean seed production facility in Brookings, Minn. US, effective July 1, 2016. The move is part of an ongoing strategy for its seed production capacity needs, a company representative said.