French multinational plant breeder the RAGT Group has completed its acquisition of the Deleplanque Group, also based in France. The deal, which includes the Strube sugar beet and Van Waveren vegetable seed businesses, was first announced in September last year.
RAGT says Deleplanque is a key player in sugar beet and vegetable seeds throughout Europe and other world markets and is renowned for its experience in plant breeding and seed production. The combination will integrate new crop species into the already broad RAGT portfolio, strengthening its presence across many countries and further enriching its skillset and capability. The synergies will allow it to better help farmers and the wider agri-food supply chains address economic, climatic and environmental challenges.
“The acquisition of the Deleplanque Group aligns fully with the strategy we share with our shareholders to continue the development of our Group,” comments RAGT Group president Laurent Guerreiro. “It supports our growth ambitions and significantly strengthens our multi-species seed breeding activity, clearly positioning us as a key player in the sector.”
RAGT UK managing director Helen Wilson says the most apparent benefit to RAGT’s UK business will be the addition of sugar beet varieties to its portfolio. “Our strategy is to provide solutions to farmers for as many crops as possible in their rotation, and sugar beet is an important, profitable break crop for farmers in the beet-growing area,” she notes.
“We also welcome Strube’s UK managing director, Richard Cogman, to the RAGT UK team. Richard is a respected industry professional, and we look forward to benefiting from his knowledge of sugar beet and the seed industry.”
Managing director of RAGT’s seed division Damien Robert adds: “This acquisition represents a historic milestone for RAGT’s seed division, positioning sugar beet among our top three species. Through a continuous stream of varietal innovations and expert agronomic support, RAGT aims to establish itself as the long-term partner of choice for farmers, distributors and agricultural and agri-food supply chains. Together, we can capitalise on our respective strengths and build an ambitious future in a rapidly evolving agricultural sector.”
Eric Verjux, president of the Deleplanque Group, states: “This integration into RAGT provides the Deleplanque Group with additional resources to intensify its investments in research and development. Our teams will be able to take advantage of this partnership to broaden their professional development and strengthen their expertise.”