Bayer CropScience acquiring SeedWorks India

To strengthen its vegetable seed business in India, Bayer CropScience announced Monday that it will acquire SeedWorks India Pvt. Ltd., which specializes in breeding, production and marketing of hybrid seeds for tomato, hot pepper, okra and gourds.

Joachim Schneider, head of vegetable seeds at Bayer CropScience, said the acquisition is an excellent opportunity to underpin the company’s leading market position in India in strategic crops.

“We will be able to offer our customers an even broader choice of high-yielding hybrid seed varieties adapted to the country’s diverse and challenging growing conditions,” Schneider said.

SeedWorks India was founded in 1998, and has research and seed processing locations in Bangalore and Hyderabad, respectively. The company has 180 full-time employees and markets its seed under the US Agriseeds brand to growers across India. In fiscal year 2013-2014, the company’s sales were more than $13 million.

Balaji Nukal, managing director of SeedWorks India, said the financial and technical resources of Bayer will further strengthen the company’s ability to bring the highest quality seeds to farmers, and the breadth of activity afforded by the affiliation will create opportunities for its employees.

Schneider said India is expected to become the world’s most populated country, passing China, by approximately 2028 and therefore faces a fast-growing demand for affordable food.

“By strengthening our footprint in India’s vegetable seed sector, we aim to make a strong contribution to increasing the productivity and quality of important food crops and give our full support to the nation’s smallholder farming base,” Schneider said.

Closing of the acquisition is expected by July. The operations of SeedWorks India will be integrated into the Bayer CropScience network, and seed varieties will be marketed under the company’s Nunhems brand.