Seed company Rijk Zwaan has bought back the 70 per cent shareholding in the company from Dutch grower Royal Cebeco.
The move is welcomed by the vegetable seed firm, which sees the development as a stake for the company's independence.
Cebeco bought the shares 13 years ago from previous owner BP. The remaining 30 per cent of shares stayed in a trust, so Rijk Zwaan is now once again a fully independent private company. This is the first time this has been the case since the sale of shares to BP in the 1980s.
Rijk Zwaan says it places a great deal of importance in the allowance of its employees to buy shares in the company. In a statement, it said the change of shareholders would not affect either company policy or strategic course.