Bayer expands into strawberries

Bayer has announced the expansion of its fruits and vegetables business to strawberries.

With the acquisition of the strawberry assets of U.K.-based NIAB, Bayer will expand its focus on professional protected culture growers to meet the growing consumer and retail demand for year-round, high-quality strawberries and will also have varieties available for open field conditions, according to a news release.

This agreement allows the company’s Crop Science Division to provide a broader range of solutions for growers in the expanding protected strawberry market. The strawberry varieties are complemented by Bayer’s biological and chemical crop protection products, the release said.

“Strawberries are the fastest growing fruit crop, with year-round demand exceeding supply,” Inci Dannenberg, head of Bayer’s vegetables business, said in the release. “In fact, strawberries are the category leaders in the produce aisle, accounting for more than 23 percent of fresh fruit sales. With Bayer entering the strawberry market, we will offer growers premium genetics combined with innovative crop protection products and digital solutions. The addition of strawberries to Bayer’s portfolio is a natural progression that many of our customers are making as well.”

NIAB’s strawberry breeding program has been operating for more than 40 years from its roots at East Malling Research Station, which is in the U.K.'s Kent County.

With its advanced breeding technologies, Bayer will continue to deliver the advancements consumers, retailers and growers need, according to the release.

“We have built a strong foundation in precision breeding capabilities and look forward to bringing these approaches into strawberries,” J.D. Rossouw, head of vegetables research and development for Bayer’s Crop Science Division, said in the release. “Using these techniques will enable us to continue to advance on the foundation set by NIAB and deliver superior strawberries to our growers and the value chain.”

With more than 20 different crops and thousands of vegetable seed selections, Bayer’s Vegetable Seeds business supports a diverse range of growers with seed varieties tailored to the tastes and preferences of consumers around the globe, the release said. Key crops are tomato, cucumber, beans, broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, eggplant, lettuce, melon, onion, pepper, spinach, sweet corn and watermelon.

The acquisition is expected to close by Jan. 1, 2024.