New Syngenta Technology Center Reduces Breeding Timelines and Strengthens Food Security

• Syngenta Vegetable Seeds opens a state-of-the-art R&D Technology Center in Spain for key crops including tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers.
• New $10 million facility designed to reduce traditional breeding timelines.
• Facility employs field-to-lab approach where diagnostics begin directly in growers' fields.

EL EJIDO, Spain--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Syngenta Vegetable Seeds is opening a new R&D Technology Center in El Ejido, Almería – a state-of-the-art facility designed to combat emerging pathogens that are destroying crops and impacting grower livelihoods around the world. As part of a larger Innovation Center footprint in El Ejido, the new Technology Center plays a key role in developing solutions for fruity crops while reducing traditional breeding timelines.

"New pathogens are emerging at an unprecedented rate, affecting growers around the world," said Matthew Johnston, Global Head of Syngenta's Vegetable Seeds business. "It’s essential to deliver strong, resistant seeds to protect crops and growers’ livelihoods. This investment further reinforces our commitment to support growers with innovation and bring solutions to help protect their crops - not only in Spain - but across the globe."

Diagnostics that start in the field

The Technology Center employs a field-to-lab approach where diagnostics begin directly in growers' fields, not just laboratories, placing the grower at the center of the research. The new facility brings together breeding, seed operations, trait development, fruit quality, applied data science and digital, all under one roof. Additionally, it is equipped with biosafety technology, enabling scientists to work with emerging threats in a controlled and quarantined environment while maintaining the highest plant health standards.

"As part of a global network of Innovation Centers, this site is one of the best examples in demonstrating the close connection between our breeders and the growers who rely on our product performance, quality and availability to secure their production needs," said Uri Krieger, Global Head of R&D for Syngenta Vegetable Seeds. "The work we do here year-round with a team of incredible scientists not only supports growers in Spain but all around the world, as we share insights and data with R&D teams strategically located in every major growing region."

A once-in-a-lifetime experience

The official opening of the site took place on May 14, in presence of the Minister of Agriculture of Spain Luis Planas and 100 invited guests, offering an exclusive opportunity to enter this state-of-the-art biosafety facility.

Southern Spain is one of the most important vegetable production areas in the world, and Syngenta has made multiple investments over the years in the region to support growers of different sizes, from large-scale commercial operations to smallholders. The Almería region has the world's largest concentration of greenhouses covering over 30,000 hectares, producing nearly 4 million tons of vegetables annually. This makes the region the ideal environment for agricultural innovation and developing solutions that benefit growers across continents.

To learn more about Syngenta Vegetable Seeds, please visit https://www.syngentavegetables.com/.

About Syngenta

Syngenta is a global leader in agricultural innovation with a presence in more than 90 countries. Syngenta is focused on developing technologies and farming practices that empower farmers, so they can make the transformation required to feed the world’s population while preserving our planet. Its bold scientific discoveries deliver better benefits for farmers and society on a bigger scale than ever before. Guided by its Sustainability Goal, Syngenta is developing new technologies and solutions that support farmers to grow healthier plants in healthier soil with a higher yield. Syngenta Crop Protection is headquartered in Basel, Switzerland; Syngenta Seeds is headquartered in the United States.

Read our stories and follow us on social media.

LinkedIn | Instagram | YouTube | X

Data protection is important to us. You are receiving this publication on the legal basis of Article 6 para 1 lit. f GDPR (“legitimate interest”). However, if you do not wish to receive further information about Syngenta, just send us a brief informal message and we will no longer process your details for this purpose. You can also find further details in our privacy statement.

Syngenta’s Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This document may contain forward-looking statements, which can be identified by terminology such as “expect,” “would,” “will,” “potential,” “plans,” “prospects,” “estimated,” “aiming,” “on track” and similar expressions. Such statements may be subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause the actual results to differ materially from these statements. For Syngenta, such risks and uncertainties include, amongst others, risks relating to legal proceedings, regulatory approvals, new product development, increasing competition, customer credit risk, general economic and market conditions, refinancing risk, interest rate fluctuations and access to capital markets, compliance and remediation, evolving environmental and sustainability regulations, changes in agricultural policies or subsidy regimes, intellectual property rights, implementation of organizational changes, impairment of intangible assets, consumer perceptions of genetically modified crops and organisms or crop protection chemicals, climatic variations, fluctuations in exchange rates and/or grain prices, supply chain disruptions, (geo)political risks, trade restrictions, sanctions, and export controls, natural disasters, and breaches of data security or other disruptions of information technology. Syngenta assumes no obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect actual results, changed assumptions or other factors.

©2026 Syngenta. Rosentalstrasse 67, 4058 Basel, Switzerland.