Enza Zaden acquires carrot programme

Enza Zaden has announced the acquisition of a carrot breeding programme from German company Carosem, a strategic move that the company said allowed it to expand its product portfolio.

The acquisition comprises a carrot breeding programme, several commercial varieties and inventory, but does not involve any transfer of personnel, the group noted.

”The integration of this new breeding programme and the commercial varieties will require expansion of the existing organisation,” Enza Zaden stated. ”This long term investment fits into the purpose of Enza Zaden: breeding to feed the world, creating value for sustainable life and living.”

By introducing the new carrot crop, the group said it was further diversifying its portfolio, which already includes lettuce, tomato, onion, melon, pepper and cucumber among others.

“This is an exciting development as it allows us to add a new crop to our product portfolio,” said Jaap Mazereeuw, chief executive officer at Enza Zaden.

”We trust that with this acquisition we will even better serve our customers’ needs and increase our market presence,” he outlined. ”Although developing new carrot varieties can be a process that spans up to ten years, we aspire to become a leading player in the carrot market in the long run.”

Andreas Muller, CEO of Carosem, said that his group was happy that its carrot breeding programme would be further expanded under the umbrella of Enza Zaden.

”We are confident that as a respected worldwide player in vegetable breeding they will further develop our well developed program successfully,” he added.