At the end of August last year, the biggest maize seed processing plant in Europe was opened in Ganeasa, Ilfov county, by Pioneer Hi-Bred Seeds Agro SRL, a subsidiary of the American group Du Pont. Investments, which stood at 26 million dollars (20 million euros) also allowed building a silo, with a capacity of 12,000 tonnes and storage space covering 18,000 square metres (20-22,000 tonnes of seeds). “This is part of a more extensive investment plan that our company has decided to carry out in the next few years,” said Ion Sabaila, chief operating officer at Pioneer Hi-Bred Seeds Agro SRL. The new processing plant, which will handle some 30 maize hybrids, has also provided 80 permanent and approximately 300 seasonal jobs, at both the processing plant and at the sites where the seeds are produced. Pioneer exports 65% of its maize seed production, mainly to Ukraine and Russia and European Union countries.