04/28/08 Syngenta closing Nampa, Twin Falls plants

Syngenta says it will be closing its sweet corn and vegetable seed processing plant in Nampa and its pea and dry bean facility in Twin Falls. Syngenta's Rose Reifsnyder says the Nampa, Twin Falls and Gilroy, California plants that close will be replaced with a new facility. REIFSNYDER "Syngenta is dedicated to bringing high quality differentiated vegetable products to the marketplace so as part of this we're going to build at technologically advanced seed processing facility in Pasco, Washington." Reifsnyder says Syngenta's Boise office and a research and development center in Nampa will remain open after the other plants are phased out in the next year and a half. It will mean 50 lost jobs in Idaho and California. REIFSNYDER "So we're trying to give employees as much lead time as possible to plan for this however it's going to affect them and you know we're really hoping too that some of these employees are going to relocate to Pasco with us." Idaho grower contracts for this year will be honored and husking, drying and shelling work on the '08 harvest will still take place in Nampa. With ever increasing urbanization in southern Idaho Reifsnyder says Pasco offered Syngenta present and future benefits such as favorable zoning laws for agribusiness ventures, good accessibility and infrastructure. Construction on the 130 thousand square foot plant in Pasco will begin this fall. Today's Idaho Ag News Bill Scott