  The extensions of the Standard Model based on the $SU(3)_c\times
SU(3)_L\times U(1)_X$ gauge group (331-models) have been advocated to explain
the number of fermion families in nature. It has been recently shown that the
Froggatt-Nielsen mechanism, a popular way to explain the mass hierarchy of the
charged fermions, can be incorporated into the 331-setting in an economical
fashion (FN331). In this work we extend the FN331-model to include three
right-handed neutrino singlets. We show that the seesaw mechanism is realized
in this model. The scale of the seesaw mechanism is near the $SU(3)_L\times
U(1)_X$-breaking scale. The model we present here simultaneously explains the
mass hierarchy of all the fermions, including neutrinos, and the number of
families.
