Syngenta Vegetable Seeds sets up new seed health lab in Hyderabad

HYDERABAD: Syngenta Vegetable Seeds inaugurated its new seed health lab at Nuthankal, located on the outskirts of Hyderabad, on Thursday, as part of its dedication to quality control.

Spanning over 6,500 sq ft, the state-of-the-art lab has been established with an investment of $2.4 million (approximately Rs 20 crore). It is equipped with the capacity to conduct around 12,000 virus and bacterial tests annually, with provisions for future expansion, according to Syngenta.

The lab, situated within its existing campus, adheres to seed health test regulations in India and will align with international accreditation programs such as the International Seed Health Initiative (ISHI) and Naktuinbouw Authorized Laboratories (NAL).

Additionally, the lab aims to obtain export certification and local accreditation from the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL), the company stated.

Erik Postma, the global head of quality management at Syngenta Vegetable Seeds and Flowers, noted India's position among the top three markets for Syngenta’s vegetable seeds business worldwide.

“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 food security,” he emphasized.

Nishchint Bhatia, Head of Asia Pacific for Syngenta Vegetable Seeds, highlighted that the new investment underscores the company’s commitment to ensuring a dependable supply of healthy, disease-free seeds to growers.

“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.”

Established in 2009, Syngenta’s Hyderabad site currently employs over 250 staff members engaged in seed processing and quality control activities.