20 April 2022 News
On 14 April, Enza Zaden Asia officially inaugurated its latest investment in Sauk, Malaysia: an R&D infrastructure facility. It is made to have a conducive working environment along with state-of-the-art R&D seed processing and research facilities.
The R&D facility consists of 20 ha of terraced irrigated trial fields, several greenhouses and tunnels for breeding activities, phytopathology research, and farm support buildings. The Seeds Operations facility involves a processing plant along with 4000 m of cold room to keep seeds at anoptimum quality level.
“Establishing a new office and having a dedicated team of R&D with local experience and knowledge will help identify the needs of the local growers and the local market. This enables us to develop the best high-performing varieties, totally attuned to the local (climate) conditions," says Pankaj Malik, Regional Director of Enza Zaden Asia.
“As part of our wish to service the South East Asian farmers well, we recognized that we needed to do research and breeding under local conditions. After a thorough analysis, the Enza Zaden Board decided to invest in Malaysia by having an R&D farm of more than 20 ha. We are committed to empowering many small-holder vegetable farmers across the region. We aim to provide them with solutions and opportunities and to bring a smile to their face," says our CEO Jaap Mazereeuw.
Enza Zaden has created local employment and has employed more than 100 locals. Training these employees in technical subjects is helping in capacity development of local Malaysians and makes them ready for the future. We are actively connected with local universities by providing internships to new students and sponsoring education to promote technical knowledge in the agricultural sector. The vegetable seed varieties developed and customized to local and export markets are helping the farmers and other stakeholders across the region.
Enza Zaden Asia develops vegetable varieties for the tropical climate. It has its regional office in Penang (Malaysia). With Marketing & Sales, R&D and Seed Operations facilities established, this subsidiary is now ready to serve the customers in the region and to bring smiles on the faces of many smallholding farmers.