This year, Univeg has started with a Chair for Innovative Banana Cultivation and Breeding. Goal of this chair is the research into new agricultural techniques and varieties of the export banana, with a view to more efficient, more environmentally friendly and sustainable cultivation. Titular holder is Professor Rony Swennen of the University of Leuven, and the term of the chair is 3 years.
Nancy Govaerts of Univeg says: "We are not looking for production in a specific country, but volume-wise Univeg has its biggest share in Suriname. We have a partnership with the F.A.I. firm there, with an acreage of 2,000 hectares of bananas in production. Since 2007, we've been selling the full banana production from Suriname, and in 2014 we took over 90% of the firm after a privatization process led by the EU. We are also Europe's biggest banana ripening company, and our banana business accounts for 10% of our revenue."