KWS expands vegetables breeding activities with new R&D Center in Andijk, the Netherlands

Seed specialist KWS is expanding its R&D capacities in Andijk, the Netherlands. On a 10,000m² site, a state-of-the-art greenhouse will be constructed, as well as a dedicated preparation and research area for outdoor vegetables including an office and laboratory. The completion of this project is scheduled for early 2025.

Caption: Model of the new facilities

The new greenhouse area will be used for research in the outdoor crops spinach, beans, red beet and Swiss chard. Another part will be dedicated to the fruity crops cucumber and pepper with the main focus on trials with, and reproduction of doubled haploid plants, which are developed at the KWS research site in Wageningen.

″The new facilities in Andijk are an important milestone in our efforts to strengthen our strategic position in the vegetable seed market,″ says Frank Hollenberg, Site Manager Andijk. ″Our site in Andijk, in the heart of Seed Valley – the center of vegetable breeding in the Northwest of the Netherlands – serves as a central hub for our Vegetables business unit, allowing us to scale up our core activities. The newly gained space will enable our R&D colleagues to carry out more and higher quality trials. As a result, we can accelerate our innovative vegetable varieties that respond to the current challenges growers and value chain partners are facing.″

Embracing sustainable practices

In a commitment to sustainable practices, the new R&D Centre will harness the power of 360 solar panels installed on the roof of the building, creating a renewable source of electricity for the Andijk site. Additionally, the rainwater will be collected to realize a grey water circuit in the whole facility.

Background: New business unit for vegetable seeds

KWS is one of the world’s leading plant breeding companies. With a history of more than 165 years in the seed industry, the company focuses on plant breeding and the production and sale of seeds for corn, sugarbeet, cereals, rapeseed and sunflower. In 2019, the company announced its entry into the long-term growth market for vegetable seeds, based on a greenfield approach which entails organic growth, supplemented by suitable acquisitions and the sales of licensed-in varieties. This included the acquisition of the Dutch vegetable breeding company Pop Vriend Seeds, a very important player in spinach and beans breeding. In addition, KWS acquired the Italian vegetable seed company Geneplanta S.r.l. (now: KWS Vegetables Italia), a specialist in breeding, production and sales of tomato varieties, in March 2021.

In parallel, KWS has been concentrating on staffing the new business division as well as on launching its own breeding activities in Brazil, Spain, Turkey, Italy, The Netherlands and Mexico. To that end, the seed specialist is continuously expanding its network of breeding stations, most recently with a new R&D station in Navolato, Mexico. The aim of KWS is to develop a strategically significant position in the vegetable seed market by focusing on breeding for the needs of the value chain and keeping the end-customer at the forefront of its strategy.″The text from parliament opens an informal channel for marketing of PRM with no scrutiny whatsoever regarding its identity, quality, health or marketing claims regarding its suitability for specific users. This risks damage to the drive for EU farmers and growers’ towards more sustainable production, the competitiveness of European agriculture and threatens the international recognition of the EU as a region for reliable sourcing of high quality PRM serving global markets. The outcome of the vote does not reflect the contribution of our sector to the agri-food chain and end consumers nor does it reflect the industry's objectives in terms of sustainability and economic viability. We look at the Council now to adopt a position that would contrast those threatening provisions to be taken to the interinstitutional negotiations″, states Nigel Moore, Head of Food Ingredients and Euroseeds Board Member for KWS.