Syngenta Vegetable Seeds inaugurated a new Seed Health Lab in Hyderabad, India, further strengthening the company's continued investment in quality control capabilities. The lab is one of India's first dedicated seed health labs, which will serve growers in the country, across the Asia Pacific region, and beyond.
Located in Nuthankal village near Hyderabad, the lab has become part of Syngenta's global network of vegetable seed quality control labs, which supports Syngenta's mission to deliver quality vegetable seed products to growers around the world.
"High-quality and healthy seeds are the foundation of success in the field for our customers," said Nishchint Bhatia, Head of Asia Pacific for Syngenta Vegetable Seeds. "This investment highlights our commitment to ensuring growers have a reliable supply of healthy, disease-free seed. This world-class facility also supports 'Make in India' and India's growing leadership role in agriculture and vision to become a key global seed exporter."
Built for $2.4 million (INR 20 Cr), the 6,500-square-foot modern facility is currently capable of processing 12,000 virus/bacterial tests per year with the capacity to expand with future growth. The facility is compliant with seed health test regulations in India and will be aligned with international accreditation programs such as the International Seed Health Initiative (ISHI) and Naktuinbouw Authorized Laboratories (NAL). The lab is also seeking export certification and local accreditation with the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL).
"Global seed stewardship and promoting seed health in the global movement of seeds is critical to protecting the integrity of growers' crops and safeguarding global supply chains and global food security," said Erik Postma, Global Head of Quality Management for Syngenta Vegetable Seeds and Flowers. "Detailed care must be taken with every seed that makes it to a grower. This is a shared responsibility of the entire seed industry, which is why we're proud to offer our seed testing services to other seed companies to support international phytosanitary standards."
For more information:
Syngenta Vegetable Seeds
Jason Sparks
Global Head of Communications, Vegetable Seeds & Flowers
Tel.: +1 224.760.8403
Email: jason.sparks@syngenta.com
www.syngentavegetables.com