With over 252,000 hectares of cultivated area in EAME, 65% of production intended for the frozen food industry and 35% for canned food, pea stands as a key crop in the vegetable market.
The pea crop in Syngenta EAME ranks first in terms of seed sales volume, hence the two-day event organized with the aim of networking and discussing breeding innovations, sustainable agriculture, market performance, new technologies and consumer trends.
The first day of the conference was an opportunity for an exhaustive industry analysis, where all the players of the food chain discussed the various issues of pea production, consumption and promotion to consumers.
Several interesting things emerged, such as the tendency to use small-sized varieties, a choice directly driven by consumers’ preferences, among which the importance of regularly eating peas as one of the most nutrient-rich and low-fat vegetables and key component of a healthy diet plan.
On the second day, the participants had the opportunity to visit the plant of one of the leading companies for preserved fruit and vegetables in Europe, as well as seeing first-hand the latest varieties and those to be introduced soon on the market, with differentiated yield performances and full resistance package to the most important crop diseases.
"Syngenta has a 151 years - history in the vegetable seeds industry and our breeding program is one of the oldest in the world. Some of the varieties we introduced today such as Saltingo and Kengo, which stand out for yield consistency and full resistance package, are an example of how we succeeded in meeting the needs of growers, industry and consumers. Through the joint partnership work between seed company and industry we can use our scientific and technical skills to deliver targeted varieties and solutions to meet market demands, for our mutual benefit", said Mathieu Fasola - EAME Regional Portfolio Manager Large Seed Vegetables, Roots & Bulbs Syngenta.
“Our ongoing commitment in R&D activities on this crop", says Mathieu Fasola, "as well as the setting up of trial fields, research centres and experimental stations throughout the world’s main cultivation areas, has allowed us to provide the industry with high-performance varieties, with a 10% higher than average yield and full resistance packages”.