Beijing | Reuters — Farmers are illegally growing genetically modified (GMO) corn in China’s northeast, said environmental non-profit Greenpeace on Wednesday, in a report that may generate further distrust of the government’s ability to ensure a safe food supply. Beijing has spent billions of dollars to develop GMO crops that it hopes will ensure food […] Read more
Chinese farmers illegally growing GMO corn, Greenpeace says
Monsanto increases job cuts as corn, chemical sales slump
Reuters — Monsanto said a souring farm economy and currency woes will push its 2016 earnings to the lower end of expectations, while a cost-cutting drive will lead the world’s largest seed company to slash more jobs. Low commodity prices also should lead to more consolidation in the agricultural sector, CEO Hugh Grant said, about […] Read more
Syngenta said talking to Monsanto, ChemChina, others
Zurich | Reuters — Swiss agrichemicals group Syngenta is in talks with Monsanto, ChemChina and other rivals but has not received a concrete takeover offer and is keeping all options open, chairman Michel Demare told a Swiss newspaper. “Given what shareholders expect for the next 12 months, going it alone is hardly possible,” he told […] Read more
ChemChina to sweeten bid for Syngenta to $44B
Reuters — State-owned China National Chemical Corp. has raised its offer to buy Syngenta by about $2 billion, to US$44 billion, proposing a two-stage takeover of the agrochemical company, Bloomberg reported, citing sources. ChemChina has offered 470 Swiss francs (C$661) per share to buy 70 per cent of Syngenta with an option to acquire the […] Read more
Dow, DuPont to merge in deal to create chem giant
Reuters — Chemical giants DuPont and Dow Chemical agreed to merge in an all-stock deal valuing the combined company at US$130 billion in a win for activist investors that could spark further consolidation in the farm chemicals industry. The deal to combine two of the biggest and oldest U.S. chemical producers is a prelude to […] Read more
Monsanto-backed panel says glyphosate not carcinogenic
Reuters — A panel of scientists is disputing a World Health Organization report published earlier this year that concluded glyphosate, the world’s most widely used weed killer and main ingredient in Monsanto’s Roundup herbicide, is probably carcinogenic to humans. The 16-member panel, assembled by Intertek Scientific and Regulatory Consultancy, was to present its findings to […] Read more
Syngenta ready to play role in sector shake-up
Frankfurt | Reuters — Syngenta and other major seeds and crop chemicals companies are intensively discussing tie-ups, the Financial Times quoted the Swiss firm’s chairman as saying Wednesday, adding to a chorus of voices predicting a sector shake-up. Conversations among the leading players in the industry are “extremely active,” the newspaper quoted Michel Demare as […] Read more
Ag chem division not for sale, Bayer says
Frankfurt | Reuters — German drugs and pesticide maker Bayer on Wednesday reaffirmed it would hold on to its crop chemicals business as talk of consolidation in the industry continued. Asked for a comment on remarks by Monsanto executives that the U.S. seeds giant was in internal discussions about tie-ups in the industry, a Bayer […] Read more
Syngenta still among options for Monsanto takeover bids
St. Louis | Reuters — Monsanto executives are discussing whether the world’s largest seed company should acquire agrochemical rivals, including top pesticide maker Syngenta, Monsanto president Brett Begemann said Tuesday. “Everybody’s talking now. There’s multiple ways things can occur,” he said. Monsanto abandoned a $45 billion bid for Syngenta in August (all figures US$). Begemann […] Read more
Syngenta reported rejecting ChemChina takeover offer
Reuters — Syngenta has rejected ChemChina’s offer to buy the Swiss agricultural chemicals group, citing regulatory concerns, Bloomberg reported on Thursday. China National Chemical Corp., better known as ChemChina, offered about 449 Swiss francs (C$597) per share for Syngenta, valuing the Basel, Switzerland-based company at about 41.7 billion Swiss francs (C$55.4 billion), according to the […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
