Thursday, February 19, 2009

Visit to Hazera Genetics (17th February, 2009).

Part of our research schedule was to visit Hazera Genetics Ltd., an Israeli-based international firm involved in the breeding, production, and marketing of vegetable and field crop hybrid seeds worldwide (with representatives and distributors over 60 countries). Hazera Genetics was founded in 1938 and is established in a place called Brurim in Israel. "Ha Zera" in Hebrew means "The Seeds". Today, the firm is fully owned by the French-based global group Vilmorin & Co. (VCO), which has been improving vegetable varieties for over 260 years. Hazera's hybrid seeds of tomatoes, peppers, watermelons, melons and onions are well known globally. According to the latest profile (2007), Hazera Genetics’ sales reached close to 59 million Euros. Hazera has a strong R&D division and collaboration with almost all the Israeli Universities.

We spend some 6 hours visiting different labs and having detailed discussions with people. Having said so much good about the Company, doesn't mean that the trip was equally great for me. The whole activities and discussions were in Hebrew and for a moment I wished my mother tongue to be Hebrew. Any way I enjoyed the much awaited trip to green houses and of course what followed after that.... the heavy lunch.

No comments: