Hyderabad: Syngenta Vegetable Seeds inaugurated a new Seed Health Lab in Hyderabad, India on Thursday, further strengthening the company’s continued investment in quality control capabilities. “The state-of-the-art lab is one of the most advanced seed testing facilities in the world and delivers India’s first dedicated seed health lab, which will serve growers in India, across the Asia Pacific region and beyond,” the company said.
Located in Nuthankal village near Hyderabad, the lab becomes part of Syngenta’s global network of vegetable seed quality control labs, including centres of excellence in the United States and the Netherlands, which supports Syngenta’s objective to deliver the highest quality vegetable seed products to growers around the world.
Nishchint Bhatia, Head of Asia Pacific for Syngenta Vegetable Seeds, said, “High-quality, healthy seed is the foundation of success in the field for our customers. This investment highlights our commitment to ensuring growers have a reliable supply of healthy, disease-free seed. This world-class facility also supports India’s growing leadership role in agriculture and vision to become a key global seed exporter.”
You may also like to read – Direct-seeded rice makes rice cultivation water-efficient, sustainable, and low-cost: Experts
“Built for US$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 capacity to expand with future growth. The facility is compliant with seed health test regulations in India and will be aligned with international accreditation programmes 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),” the company informed.
Erik Postma, Global Head of Quality Management for Syngenta Vegetable Seeds and Flowers, said, “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. 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.”
You may also like to read – Rallis India scales up supply chain effectiveness through digital platform ‘Plan Guru’
Syngenta’s Hyderabad site was first established in 2009 and is home to more than 250 full-time and seasonal employees and workers supporting seed processing, quality control and supply operations.
Key government officials witnessed the inauguration in Nutankal. M Raghunandan Rao, Agriculture Production Commissioner and Secretary, Government of Telangana; Dr B Gopi, Director – Agriculture, Government of Telangana; and Dr DK Srivastava, Deputy Commissioner (QC), Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Government of India, were present during the inauguration.
