Nov 2, 2009

Syngenta Seeds Opens Pasco Facility

More than 100 Syngenta Seeds Inc. employees and community leaders gathered Oct. 28 at the company’s Pasco, Wash., vegetable seed processing facility to celebrate its grand opening.

The Pasco facility is located on approximately 40 acres of land and is designed and equipped with new equipment to process vegetable seeds. Construction began in June 2008. Syngenta employs approximately 30 full-time employees at the site and more than 100 seasonal employees during the sweet corn harvest season.

Syngenta Seeds constructed the Pasco seed processing facility to meet the anticipated long-term global customer demand for high-quality vegetable seeds. The facility provides seeds – including sweet corn, tomatoes, watermelons, peppers, squash, melons and broccoli – to the world from this new location, which represents a significant investment in the future of the Syngenta vegetable seed business.

After the opening presentation, Syngenta hosted a tour of the facility, giving attendees a first-hand look at the new facility and technology, including:

Sweet corn dryer with 36 drying bins of different sizes. The bins can be individually configured to exact drying parameters to optimize the high quality of the sweet corn seed and to meet the specific genetic drying sensitivity needs of each variety.

More than 30,000 square feet of conditioned warehouse that provides control over the atmosphere – a major benefit when summer temperatures reach 100˚ F/38˚ C. Seeds are living things, so the conditions in which they are stored play a large role in maintaining their quality level.

“The efficiencies and quality of this new plant are consistent with our commitment to growers around the world and to achieving the highest quality products,” said Dan Burdett, head of the vegetables business for Syngenta Seeds in North America. “The grand opening of our new facility is meant to celebrate our success and thank the Pasco community, our customers and employees for their continued support.”

Pasco is the newer of two Syngenta vegetable seed processing plants in the United States. The other facility is located in Othello, Wash., and focuses on peas, snap peas and green bean seed processing. Syngenta has transferred seed processing activities for sweet corn and other vegetable crops from its plants in Nampa and Twin Falls, Idaho, and Gilroy, Calif., to the Pasco plant. Syngenta’s North American vegetables seed business will continue to have a presence in Idaho’s Treasure Valley with its headquarters in Boise and research and development center in Nampa.