The group hosted an international delegation of more than 130 people in Compiegne, France, to shape the future of the green bean industry.
Syngenta Vegetable Seeds invites key customers, fresh and processing industry partners, retailers, and food experts to discuss the future of the green bean industry in September.
Visitors to the event, which took place in Compiegne, France, reviewed the challenges, identified market trends, and isolated adaptations needed to develop the industry.
At the same time, they are familiar with what breeders do in research and development and other ways that Syngenta’s Large Seeded Vegetable team collaborates with the fresh and processing markets.
“We are a world leader in the vegetable seeds industry,” said Arend Schot, regional director of the Vegetable Seeds business unit.
“Our business in Europe, Africa and the Middle East has 2,400 people in 52 countries dedicated to vegetable seeds, underscoring the company’s commitment to be a preferred partner in the agri-food value chain ,” said Schot. “We focus on innovation and sustainability to do more with human health and the environment in mind.”
Seeds are a critical crop
According to Syngenta, the three-day program covers a wide range of topics and activities, with visitors hearing from experts about trends and opportunities for the green bean sector.
Green beans are seen as a critical crop for growers and global consumers, with Europe and Africa having more than 162,000 hectares of which 51 percent are used in fresh markets.
Trends such as increasing awareness of the importance of food waste and drive-in shopping are covered, and Syngenta reflects on how this affects its breeding programs.
“We are more than a product company – we look for solutions,” said Mathieu Fasola, regional marketing portfolio manager. “We collect accurate and consistent data and this vast amount of data is made available to our customers so they can use the best solutions and tailored to their unique needs.”
Search for solutions
Green bean growers around the world face a variety of challenges, and attendees come together to discuss these issues and find solutions.
“We are facing big problems: rampant inflation, high prices of fertilizers, high prices of fuels, farmers are giving up vegetables, it is difficult for them to earn money to grow crops. vegetables,” said Krzysiek Pankowski, who works for Bonduelle in Poland.
To help offset some of those challenges, green beans may offer some competitive advantages over other crops when it comes to labor, Syngenta points out.
They are easy to harvest and can use mechanization, which greatly reduces the time spent in the fields.
Another way to maximize yield potential is to understand the characteristics of new varieties to determine whether they are suitable for the field environment and mechanical harvesting.
“In terms of seed, our main challenges in Kenya at the moment are obviously freight costs, availability and consistency,” said Gareth Wilkie, general manager of VegPro in Kenya.
“The support we get from Syngenta in Kenya is amazing. We are doing a lot of testing in the area to collaborate to collect data on new varieties and genetics. I think stability is a challenge: there are varieties that managing climate change is high on the agenda.