Corteva Agriscience expands sunflower seed production in Romania

Corteva Agriscience is accelerating the growth of its sunflower seed business in Europe, with the completion of an additional €14m of investment in the Afumati production facility in Romania. The investment will allow the company to meet growing domestic and international demand from farmers for the high quality sunflower seeds.

The Afumati seed production facility, located 12km east of the Romanian capital Bucharest, is one of the most modern Corteva production facilities in the world and the largest seed processing station in Romania. Operating since 2006, it produces advanced corn and sunflower Pioneer^® seeds for customers all over Europe.

The new capital investment project comprising a bulk storage and conditioning facility will enable Corteva Agriscience to shorten the supply chain, improve its reliability and agility and increase European processing capacity to support growth in the region. More than €74m in total has so far been invested in the Afumati seed production facility.

Corteva Agriscience Romania & Moldova Country Leader Jean Ionescu said: “Corteva is enriching the lives of thousands of farmers and consumers in Europe with improved technologies and practices to combat global hunger and ensure progress for generations to come. Our new investment will help farmers to obtain better results and satisfy an increased demand for the high quality sunflower seeds as we strive to help farmers improve performance.”

Jean-Phillipe Riffat, Corteva Agriscience Commercial Unit Leader for Central and Eastern Europe, said: “One of the most important pillars of our company is the customer focus. We will continue to strengthen our connection with Romanian farmers, as well as food producers and consumers across Europe, developing the agility and responsiveness needed to thrive.”

The Corteva team at the Afumati facility ensures continuous support in the field and production control. The site employs almost 300 permanent and seasonal workers who guarantee the full production cycle of the high-quality Pioneer^® hybrids. The new investment has allowed the company to create almost 20 new contractor positions supporting local community development. Afumati is also expanding production in line with the Corteva Agriscience 2030 Sustainability Commitments to help increase the resilience of our global food system.

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