Sakata Seed America announced the sale of its onion seed breeding program to Zaad Holdings Limited (‘Zaad’), a subsidiary of Zeder, effective July 27.
The acquirer, Zaad, is a vertically integrated agriculture company headquartered in Cape Town, South Africa. The company has strong R&D, production and distribution systems established in continental Africa, Europe and the U.S. Dr. Sean Fort, the program’s breeder for over 18 years, will continue onion breeding efforts for Zaad.
Sakata Seed America will maintain the right of first refusal to market the acquired commercial onion genetics in their existing territories.
“We are excited about the partnership to market the genetics globally,” says John Nelson, Vice-president of Sakata Seed America. “Zaad has an outstanding reputation and capabilities that will enable them to expand production and supply channels in the onion market.”
Zaad will continue to advance innovation and introduce quality new genetics to the market through the established breeding program, spearheaded by Fort, and will supply the program’s seed moving forward.
“We at Zaad look forward to continuing to expand the genetics of this program. In addition, we are pleased about our new marketing partnership with Sakata, which is a win-win for both companies,” says Antonie Jacobs, CEO of Zaad Holdings.
Further terms of the deal have not been disclosed at this time.
