Month: April 2023

Sustainable solutions: the golden guidelines for Hazera

Posted on Apr 24, 2023

Saturday, April 22 was World Earth Day. A day dedicated to environmental protection and thinking about sustainable solutions to reduce our carbon footprint. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals are the golden guidelines for Hazera to adhere to when offering sustainable solutions. “We are well aligned with the vision of United Nations to offer sustainable solutions, the ‘Farm to fork’ initiative and the reduction of potentially hazardous products,” according Tyrrel Chisenga, Global Crop Projects and Process Lead. “Because for us it’s always Earth day.”

“We prioritize the use of sustainable inputs for the development and delivery of high performing plant varieties. With crop performance being under pressure due to climate change and regulatory evolutions, we are investing in creating value for growers for improved crop resilience. Hazera focuses on the sustainable use of plant protection products and is an active member of trade associations that provide knowledge and recommendations for legislation such as Euroseeds (European), Plantum (Netherlands), UFS (France), BDP (Germany), and International Seed Health Initiative (ISHI) just to mention a few.”

Research
The teams at Hazera do not reach their goals alone. They often engage various universities and research institutes to help. Tyrrel: “Take for example the Academic and Consultancy Training (ACT) projects from Wageningen University (WUR). These allow us to get input on how to approach and manage the change in the regulations around the use of plant protection products without compromising on quality and compliance. The result of these projects was a well summarized approach by the students of the Wageningen Academic Consultancy Training group. To be compliant enables us to retain our freedom to operate.”

Hazera is also one of the pioneer companies to take part in the WUR MSc programmes ‘Sustainable Business and Innovation’. It is through such an active participation in academia and business operations  that Hazera Seeds aspires to excel in sustainable solutions.

Collaborative research through Plantum
Hazera has close connections with other companies united in Plantum. “We use this to learn from each other”, says Tyrrel. “We are not hesitant to invite others into our facilities and see how we approach safety and invest in to excel in our activities. Always improving the foundations and innovations of our facilities will keep Hazera in the global top for years to come.”

Want to know more?

Do you want to know more about our sustainable solutions? Follow us on our social media channels to stay connected with Hazera. If you have any questions left, don’t hesitate to ask them via our contact page!

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Continuous improvement keeps Hazera Seeds in the global top

Posted on Apr 10, 2023

Hazera is committed to developing high-quality seeds that allow communities to flourish. To do that, Hazera focuses on continually improving its operational excellence in research, production, processing and quality for both customers and employees. “We deliver the best to our customers, and we want to keep it that way”, says Tyrrel Chisenga, Seed technologist. “We put in a lot of effort, but there is always room for improvement.”

“We breed for new varieties, and multiply seeds for growers and farmers alike”, Tyrrel explains. “After production, we perform extensive quality control tests to confirm that our seeds meet the commercial quality standards. Based on the various tests that we execute, we initiate processing activities to ensure that we deliver quality. We also take care of physiological enhancement to ensure seedling vigour and establishment even under sub-optimal conditions. Our efforts are to make sure the seeds that our farmers sow and nurture into a crop, grow and eventually end up as delicious vegetables in supermarkets across the world.”

Quality control and Seed technology
Quality control and Seed technology are an indispensable component for Hazera when it comes to making sure we deliver the best quality. “Nature comes with its challenges and when we encounter challenges that may compromise the final product quality after production we initiate research into the causes and solutions”, says Tyrrel. “Such research may encompass  physiological, physical, health, genetic aspects of the seeds or efficiency of processes. Everything we do is to ensure optimum quality for our customers.”

On top of the game
Even though Hazera adheres to the commercial quality standards and guarantees quality, there is always room for improvement, Tyrrel finds. Hazera invests in continually improving seed quality. “These investments include machinery for seed enhancement, automation of processes and the use of imaging systems for better inline decision making. Additionally, there are improved protocols with reduced lead times. We introduced the Lean management system in our processing plants. We created a work environment that allows the smooth and fast flow of processes and at the same time reduces work load. This allows us to cater to the needs of our customers in a brief period.”

For Hazera, its employees are on the same pedestal as the customers. Tyrrel: “The most important thing for the welfare of our employees is to make sure that their work remains interesting and safe. That is why we made a new tomato pelleting formulation that is safer for our employees to apply. It also results in improved sowability and seedling performance.”

Want to know more?

Follow us on our social media channels to stay connected with Hazera and our continuous improvement! If you have any questions left, don’t hesitate to ask them via our contact page!

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Our Unbe-leaf-able Leafy Range!

Posted on Apr 14, 2023

Hazera South Africa is excited to present our leafy range in partnership with Vilmorin – it is simply unbe-leaf-able!

Why is it unbe-leafable?
The lettuce varieties in our expanded range has been especially chosen for the South African climate. Year-round production is essential in the economy, and as always – we want to supply our growers with the best genetics at the best prices.

What are the innovations in development?
Cultivated on all 5 continents, salads are enjoyed by consumers for its health benefits and ease of preparation. And let’s not forget the Convenience and Fresh markets who are developing new ways of consumption such as salad snacking and salad bars. It is also important to growers for whom it may be a strategic crop.

To offer products with added value and originality to our growers, the Vilmorin range diversifies and complements our existing portfolio of leafy greens – giving you more to choose from.

More and more growers are looking to products that are adapted for hydroponics – why?

Hydroponics and vertical farming are gaining popularity around the world. Our growers are increasingly becoming interested in finding crop varieties that have a proven track record in a controlled environment system. We are able to meet this need – an excellent advantage of being part of the Limagrain group. This enables us to provide a rich portfolio of leafy green varieties adapted to hydroponic greenhouses and vertical farms, enabling year-round production in various climates and systems.

What is the advantage of our hydroponic product range ?

It isn’t necessarily about developing new varieties, but more about identifying varieties which produce uniform and compact greens with a good color intensity, rapid growth and tolerance to certain physiological disorders.

Hazera South Africa’s advantage over its competitors in the market is the wide selection on offer. We have a full range of leafy varieties such as iceberg, romaine, oakleaf, butter, cos, etc. We can provide these typologies for hydroponic cultivation.

Here’s to #growingtogether!

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