It is setting up its regional headquarters and logistics centre to carry out vegetable seed research for the Asian market here.

The prime minister’s special adviser on the Northern Corridor Economic Region (NCER), Zainal Abidin Osman, said the launching of a research and development centre, through the Northern Corridor Implementation Authority, was seen as enabling the modernisation of the vegetable-growing industry.

“The research and diagnostic work in growing plants in the laboratory in the Northern Corridor Biotech Centre (BTC) here will create a conducive environment for investment in Malaysia,” he told reporters after opening Enza Zaden’s regional headquarters and its Asian Region Seed Logistics Centre on Friday.

He said with its investment in Malaysia, Enza Zaden would strengthen and support the latest agriculture activities in Asia and especially in Malaysia.

Enza Zaden is the first tropical vegetable seed breeding centre in the Asean region.

It has annual sales exceeding RM1 billion, apart from its investment amounting to more than RM49 million in Malaysia since 2015.