Bayer CropScience invests EUR 12 million in expansion of Nunhems research facilities in the Netherlands

Towards faster and more efficient vegetable variety development

Monheim/ Leudal (Netherlands), – Bayer CropScience’s vegetable seed business Nunhems will invest EUR 12 million in the expansion and modernization of its research center in the municipality of Leudal, the Netherlands. The existing research building will be enlarged from 2,200 square meters to a total size of 6,400 square meters and will be equipped with state-of-the-art laboratories for Nunhems’ Biotech Services like DNA analyses as well as for Seed Technology, Cell Biology and Molecular Breeding. The extended and modernized research facilities are scheduled to be fully operational by the end of 2011.

Dr. Joachim Schneider, Head of BioScience at Bayer CropScience, considers the investment a further step in the strategic expansion of the business: “By upgrading our research facilities, we will be in an even better position to develop innovative vegetable seed varieties with good yields, disease resistance and excellent quality.”

“Technology is moving fast and has become a competitive component in vegetable breeding,” commented Dr. Johan Peleman, Nunhems’ Managing Director of Research and Development. Nunhems follows an “Integrated Breeding” approach, where technology is an integral part of the breeding activities. Next to the Netherlands, Nunhems has research centers in Bangalore (India) and Davis, California (USA).

These centers provide services to the company’s breeding programs across the world. Thanks to new tools and a close collaboration with members from various research disciplines at the company, Nunhems’ breeders are now able to address priority traits faster and more efficiently.

About Nunhems
Nunhems, a subsidiary of Bayer CropScience, is the global specialist in vegetable genetics and services. As a globally integrated group of teams Nunhems builds unique customer relationships and shares products, concepts and expertise with the professional horticultural production industry and supply chain. Its portfolio includes leading varieties and brands in crops such as leek, onion, carrot, melon, cucumber, tomato, watermelon, lettuce and pepper. With annual sales of EUR 240 million (2009) and an extensive range of 28 crops and some 2,500 varieties, Nunhems is among the world’s leading vegetable seed companies. With more than 1,500 people Nunhems is present in all major vegetable production areas in the world. More information about Nunhems at www.nunhems.com.

About Bayer CropScience
Bayer is a global enterprise with core competencies in the fields of health care, nutrition and high-tech materials. Bayer CropScience AG, a subsidiary of Bayer AG with annual sales of about EUR 6.5 billion (2009), is one of the world’s leading innovative crop science companies in the areas of crop protection, non-agricultural pest control, seeds and traits. The company offers an outstanding range of products and extensive service backup for modern, sustainable agriculture and for non-agricultural applications. Bayer CropScience has a global workforce of 18,700 and is represented in more than 120 countries. This and further news is available at: www.press.bayercropscience.com.