Südwestdeutsche Saatzucht strengthens position by acquiring asparagus activities from BASF

With the acquisition of the asparagus activities of BASF's vegetable seed business, active in the market under the Nunhems^® brand, Südwestdeutsche Saatzucht is strengthening its activities in the asparagus sector. On January 31, 2023 all activities were transferred to the new owner. Mutual confidentiality was agreed on the amount of the purchase price.

"Our existing portfolio of varieties, which covers the entire crop range, will be given an even broader basis by two new varieties from the BASF portfolio," says Karl-Ludwig Nau, Managing Director of Südwestdeutsche Saatzucht. "The purchase also significantly broadens the genetic diversity, which in the long term leads to varieties that are even better adapted to the changing climatic conditions. Bringing together the expertise that have taken place so far helps to characterize the breeding material even better and to accelerate the development of new varieties″.

„We are pleased that our asparagus business has found a new home at Südwestdeutsche Saatzucht, a reputable asparagus seed breeder and a reliable supplier to the value chain″, affirms Dr. Ena Hartig, Vice President R&D of BASF's vegetable seed business. "With the sale of our asparagus activities, we are focusing our portfolio on strategic growth areas in the vegetable seed industry".

About Südwestdeutsche Saatzucht

Südwestdeutsche Saatzucht GmbH & Co. Kg is a family-run medium-sized breeding company based in Rastatt, Baden-Württemberg. In addition to a more than 100-year tradition in asparagus breeding, the focus of breeding is on cultures that contribute to a healthy diet, such as durum wheat (durum), spelled wheat (spelled), as well as the ancient grain types emmer and einkorn. Since 2022, the only 2 CHIA varieties adapted to our European climate conditions have also been sold.