On Wednesday, March 13, KWS officially opened its new breeding station in the Navolato municipality in Sinaloa, Mexico. Here, the company will breed tomatoes and peppers and screen cucumbers, melons, and watermelons. Since entering the long-term growth market for vegetable seeds in 2019, KWS has been building a global network of sites to expand its breeding and sales activities across new regions.
A good 70 visitors were welcomed by hostesses and received a gift bag. Alberto Gonzalez Acuña, National Sales Manager KWS Vegetables Mexico, opened the inauguration with a presentation, followed by Peter Hofmann, Executive Board Member, Simon Walter, Business Unit Head of Vegetables, and Coert Engels, Global Head of Breeding Vegetables. Lastly, Francisco Perez Lopez, Tomato Breeder Mexico, Aurelio Bautista, Pepper Breeder Mexico, provided some information about their breeding programs, and Victor Zefra, Farm Manager, gave a virtual tour of the new breeding station, after which Peter Hofmann officially opened the breeding station by cutting a ribbon and toasting to this new milestone.
"At KWS Vegetables Mexico, our goal is to provide high-quality vegetable seeds for the Mexican market," says Alberto Gonzalez Acuña, National Sales Manager of KWS Vegetables Mexico. The new breeding station in Navolato enables us to develop competitive varieties that offer solutions for the main challenges faced by local farmers and strengthen our presence in the market."
The facility
The new facility covers 10.3 hectares and features warehouses, offices, a large area for open-field production, and greenhouses covering 4.500 m2 – a number that is supposed to grow by another 5.000 m2 in the coming years. In parallel with construction, KWS has assembled a team of approximately 45 employees, including experienced breeders, farming experts, and seasonal workers.
"The new station will serve as the central hub of our breeding activities for the Mexican vegetable market," Ailton Ribeiro, Head of Breeding Latin America at KWS Vegetables, explains. "The focus will lie on developing innovative tomato, pepper, and cucumber varieties – three crops of high relevance both for Mexican agriculture and our company."
For more information:
KWS SAAT SE & Co. KGaA
Alberto Gonzalez Acuña
Tel.: +52 667 150 9891
Email: [email protected]
Twitter: https://twitter.com/KWS_Group
http://www.kws.com