Fitó has extended its R&D installations in El Ejido (Almeria)
The centre owned by the seed company in Almeria is a stronghold for its research activity that has been on the rise from the first 3 hectares in 1990 to today’s 12 hectares, and it is also the head offices of the company that is generating most volume and invoicing (1/5 part of the total invoicing). With this last 1 hectare extension, the company’s possibilities have been expanded and it now can carry out the entire process on a large scale, from the seedbeds (with 2,000 metres of surface area divided up into three areas), to the monitoring of resistance to pests in the pathology area and the behaviour of the ‘surviving’ varieties in a final area under grass. In each of these areas tools and technological mechanisms have been implemented to control and regulate the weather conditions (thermal screens, heating, cooling system…) at all times.
The warehouse is the installation’s nerve centre, where the heating, watering and fertilisation (with four types of fertiliser) are controlled, and also where the termination and seed sowing rooms are located.
To carry out the extension, Fitó has made an investment of 1.5 million euros.
Boost for international expansion
Although the national market continues to grow and is very important for the multinational, in recent years export has made a significant growth and now makes up virtually 70% of its invoicing. For this reason, they continue to extend their presence all over the world: they sell in 70 countries through subsidiaries, and have direct presence in another 10 countries. This year, they will also open a new subsidiary in Morocco.
In figures
In this campaign, Fitó’s forecast is to reach 100 million euros in global sales, 57% of which come from horticultural seeds. A large part of its invoicing, 20%, is allocated to research. Of the over 600 employees the company has around the world, 38% are engaged in R&D.
