Farming is facing up to unprecedented, increasingly complex challenges, and it needs greater flexibility. Under this premise, BASF Nunhems has changed its course, modifying its structure to get even closer to the producers and to become more efficient, putting the spotlight on the ‘hotspots’: Almeria and Murcia. Both regions bring together a large part of Spain’s agricultural production, the second in invoicing for BASF Nunhems, after the USA.
The company explained the change in May and presented the new Country Manager Iberia, Anna Pedró. In the two top priority regions, Almeria and Murcia, Miguel Espinosa and Pedro Garcia, respectively will be in charge as Area Sales Managers.
Agricultural solutions
Anna Pedró is not new in the seed segment. “An agronomist by profession and a farmer by vocation,” she studied a doctorate in Vegetable Physiology and has worked in Crop Protection at BASF for 12 years.
Her new challenge as Country Manager Iberia is to continue with the existing line and take it a step further, seeking out excellence. “The best definition is that we are an agricultural solutions company. We provide Crop Protection and Seeds.”
Almeria
Miguel Espinosa, Area Sales Manager Almeria, has worked in the company for 24 years and he knows all the idiosyncrasies of Almeria perfectly. In the province, three of the most important pillars for BASF Numhems are cucumbers, peppers and tomatoes.
“We are the only company with the 5 cucumber typologies: long, slicer, French, mini and snack”. Leaders in the segment, they offer solutions against CGMMV with materials that incorporate resistance throughout the whole range. “We already have the first short cucumber variety with resistance to CGMMV”.
In peppers, one of the company’s recent milestones is the launch of the Olimpo range. They started out with Krakos, and followed this with Salonikas (yellow), Arkos, and Bikos (red). This year, they will add new developments in early cycle and yellow varieties.
In tomatoes, they are using their new generation to give strong backing to ‘Win the fight against ToBRFV’. In their Demo Field, they presented 42 varieties that they have consolidated as trusted suppliers, capable of giving short term solutions to ToBRFV. “We have gone from 130 to 500 hectares” with Cabosur.
Murcia
Pedro García, Area Sales Manager Murcia, has held positions of responsibility in BASF Nunhems for 20 years, and he is in charge of open-air crops such as artichokes, which continue reaping successes with the first hybrid variety, Green Queen F1.
As in Almeria, a large part of his efforts are centred on tomatoes. “Cabosur and Azovian are working very well. The development of materials with resistance ToBRFV is going hand in hand with Almeria.” This year they will have their own Demo Field to ‘Win the fight against ToBRFV’.
In lettuces, they have renewed the catalogue with materials that have resistance to Fusarium, all the official species of downy mildew, and good behaviour against rot. We have moved on from having a few leading varieties to holding a new space with the full resistance range.”
Melons and watermelons are another of their major commitments, as shown at the BEFE under the slogan ‘What’s Next’. “Flavour is our flagship. It always has been in watermelon and we want to help to recover it in Galia with Galkia”, Elvira Vitores, a MarComSpecialist, comments. In order to do this, they are working alongside their partners Fruca, Gregal and Jimbo Fresh.
They also have some important advances in Cantaloupe melons with SunUp, working with companies from Murcia and Almeria, such as Agroiris.
