Syngenta Vegetable Seeds and Produce Marketing Association alliance to foster connections, inspire innovation and fuel industry growth

Date:05-01-2019

Syngenta announces its alliance with the Produce Marketing Association (PMA), a leading trade association representing companies from every segment of the global fresh produce and floral supply chain. This alliance supports initiatives that offer smarter connections, relevant information and integrated business solutions to PMA members throughout the Americas.

“Our customers’ needs are at the heart of everything we do, and those needs extend well beyond harvest,” said Javier Martinez-Cabrera, Syngenta head of vegetable seeds in the Americas. “It is our responsibility as a global leader in the vegetable seed industry to foster connections and engage in dialogue that helps ensure our products are always at the forefront of innovation. With its mission to connect, inform and deliver industry solutions to enhance its members’ prosperity, PMA is the perfect partner for us in seeking ways to strengthen our own connections and support efforts that increase opportunities for others to connect as well.”

Through this alliance, Syngenta will support several PMA initiatives and events throughout the year in North America, Mexico and Brazil. The events kick off in May with PMA Tech Knowledge in Monterey, California.
“PMA is an organization for the members, by the members,” said Anthony Barbieri, PMA vice president of sales, events and programs. “We owe much thanks to our generous sponsors who support our events and initiatives at all levels, as well as our volunteer leaders across the globe who help us design event programming and tackle industry challenges. More specifically, we thank Syngenta for its support of Tech Knowledge, our Fresh Connections events in Mexico and Brazil, and for its participation at Fresh Summit. Alliances like this enable PMA to pursue its mission to grow a healthier world. We’re better together, as this work takes strong voices and collaboration.”

A major global produce and floral industry event happening in mid-October is PMA’s annual Fresh Summit Convention & Expo in Anaheim, California, where Syngenta will participate in Center for Growing Talent’s 5K Race for Talent to encourage employee engagement and show in-person support for advancing the industry.

PMA’s three-day Fresh Summit is the global produce and floral industry’s largest gathering in the Americas, which attracts exhibitors from 30 countries and attendees from 60 countries who are looking for new products, suppliers and innovations. Fresh Summit includes keynote sessions that feature big voices, experience extensions that take a deeper dive into industry hot topics, and numerous networking opportunities for thought partners to make connections and explore ways to enhance the industry.

“There is a need for changing innovation in a changing world,” Martinez-Cabrera said. “Our alliance with PMA will help us better understand how this need affects the produce industry. We’re accelerating our innovation to address the increasing challenges faced by farmers and the changing views of society, and investing in technologies that matter to bring about positive, lasting change for more sustainable agriculture.”

Syngenta innovations like ultra-firm flesh watermelon transformed the global market, allowing growers to produce fruit with firmer flesh and extended shelf-life without compromising taste. Trial data has shown an increase in flesh firmness with these varieties that is two times more firm than standard seedless varieties, improving product recovery for the fresh cut market.

Nebula, a round cherry tomato, is another Syngenta variety that set new standards in the global market. This unique tomato maintains a crisp outer flesh while preserving a juicy, flavorful pulp inside.
“Syngenta is proud to support PMA initiatives and events,” Martinez-Cabrera said. “We are excited to see how this unique collaboration will inspire innovation from field to table and ultimately fuel industry growth for a healthier world.”