Seminis Inc., the world's largest developer, producer and marketer of vegetable and fruit seeds, opened a seed conditioning and packaging center in Beijing, China this week, the first foreign vegetable seed company to build an operations facility in this nation of 600 million farmers.

The new Beijing facility provides Seminis with a springboard to expand its presence in the Chinese vegetable seed market, which is currently supplied by thousands of small, local seed providers.

"China represents a key market for Seminis and will be a critical proving ground for our marketing strategy in emerging countries," said Mr. Alfonso Romo, Seminis Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. "By producing and selling locally we are able to keep our prices competitive while providing farmers with the quality they have come to expect from the Seminis brand."

He indicated that by investing in higher quality and hybrid seeds, farmers can boost their economic status and improve the availability of fruits and vegetables to local population centers. "In China, fruits and vegetables provide a critical source of nutrition, and increases in productivity can help improve health on a national scale," Mr. Romo said.

According to the company, the 100,000 sq. ft. (9,000 square meter) operations facility will be the receiving and quality assurance center for its seed production in China, and will serve as a central distribution hub. It will house seed conditioning, treatment and packaging equipment along with quality assurance labs, greenhouses and climate-controlled seed storage. The site employs about 30 full-time workers.

"The new facility will greatly improve our operational efficiencies in this huge vegetable seed market, while reducing turnaround times by as many as 60 days," said Dr. Bruno Ferrari, Seminis President and Chief Operating Officer. Previously seed had to be shipped out of the country and re-imported.

Seminis currently has two research stations in China as well as eight sales offices.

Seminis Inc. is the world's largest developer, producer and marketer of vegetable seeds. Its products are designed to reduce the need for agricultural chemicals, increase crop yield, reduce spoilage, offer longer shelf life, and create better tasting foods and foods with better nutritional content. Seminis has established a worldwide presence and global distribution network that spans 150 countries and territories.