Vegetable Seed Enhancement Facility

Agrii VSE will be a full-service offering with a broad range of processes backed by Agrii’s R&D expertise, writes Skye Van Heyzen, Agrii Vegetable Seed Enhancement manager

Agrii VSE is in the final stages of its development. The plant and machinery are operational having received the necessary authorisations in readiness to begin commercial activities this autumn. We are now developing the protocols for pelleting and encrustment technologies. We have seed treatment trials in the field and in the glasshouse. Our commercial offer will be finalised this summer.

It has been an extraordinary achievement. From a business plan on paper a little more than a year ago we now have a working plant an offering of priming, encrustment, film coating, and pelleting. We will offer a range of synthetic, biological, and nutritional treatments as required.

The team has done a superb job. It is a testament to the dedication and professionalism of those involved that so much has been achieved in such a short period of time.

Our volume capacity remains confidential, but we will be targeting all commercial vegetable seeds including onions, carrots, parsnips, leek, and spinach in the first year. From here we plan to expand into the higher-value crops such as lettuce, kales, and herbs. We will add more crop types as relationships with the seed houses develop.

There are established players in this space and others are seeking to move into it too, so we recognise that our proposition has to be competitive and the service we deliver has to be professional. Our advantage is that as a company we are accountable and can back it up; while our network of agronomists is there to advise on the treatments best suited to the conditions on farm. Others in this space can't offer this level of support.

We will further differentiate ourselves from the competition through our treatment offerings. We are using and will continue to use, our trials expertise to screen the many forms of biological treatment and take on only those that actually work. In addition, all our treatments and packaging will be sustainable, i.e. free of microplastics.

This is a new venture for Agrii and it will take the brand into a new sector. We have been thorough in our product research and evaluation and diligent in understanding customer needs.