Reuters — As seed and chemical maker Monsanto woos Swiss ag chem firm Syngenta, Monsanto also is trying to win over consumers in key international markets, rolling out social media and marketing campaigns. U.S.-based Monsanto said it has recently launched interactive consumer-oriented websites in China, France, India, Argentina and Brazil, in addition to a lead […] Read more
As it woos Syngenta, Monsanto mounts campaign to combat critics
Monsanto’s Syngenta gambit seen hinging on sale of seed businesses
London/Frankfurt | Reuters –– U.S. seeds giant Monsanto is trying to line up buyers for assets worth up to US$8 billion to appease competition authorities before making a fresh takeover approach for Swiss rival Syngenta, possibly within three weeks, industry sources said. Monsanto is expected to tap German chemicals group BASF, an existing joint venture […] Read more
Twitter campaign to raise donations for Ag in the Classroom
Syngenta has launched a Twitter campaign to promote modern farming practices
Reading Time: < 1 minute Syngenta will donate $1 to Ag in the Classroom groups across the Prairies for every Twitter follower picked up by its #FollowtheSeed campaign. The tweets will be coming from Cam Canola (@CamCanola) or Sam Soybean (@SamSoybean) as they progress through the growing season to Oct. 31. The donations to Ag in the Classroom are capped […] Read more
Major Syngenta shareholders would back Monsanto bid, if higher
London | Reuters — Major investors in Swiss agrochemicals firm Syngenta are confident a deal with Monsanto will come off if the U.S. firm ups its initial US$45 billion bid by at least 10 per cent. After rebuffing the takeover offer announced earlier Friday, Syngenta said the bid fundamentally undervalued the firm and that its […] Read more
Monsanto, Syngenta hire advisors on possible takeover
London/Frankfurt | Reuters –– Agricultural companies Monsanto and Syngenta are working with investment banks on a takeover deal that would create an industry behemoth with combined sales of more than US$31 billion, three sources familiar with the matter said. Swiss crop chemicals maker Syngenta is working with Goldman Sachs to assess the merits of a […] Read more
Monsanto reported offering again to buy Syngenta
Reuters — Monsanto, the world’s largest seed company, has again approached Switzerland’s Syngenta in recent weeks with an offer to buy the company, Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the matter. However, the Swiss crop chemical maker has concerns, as the merger would raise antitrust issues, Bloomberg said. The two companies may again fail to […] Read more
Syngenta sales feel effect of low commodity prices
Zurich | Reuters –– Swiss firm Syngenta, the world’s largest maker of crop chemicals, suffered a bigger than expected fall in first-quarter sales having been hit by low commodity prices, the strong dollar and a prolonged winter in the U.S. The price of corn fell about 15 per cent in 2014, on top of a […] Read more
Cargill begins selling GM corn seed at centre of lawsuits
Reuters — Cargill has started selling a variety of genetically modified Syngenta corn seed that previously disrupted U.S. grain trading, now that China has approved imports of the biotech crop. Cargill, one of the top U.S. grain exporters, began selling seed containing the Agrisure Viptera trait last month and scrapped a policy that required farmers […] Read more
Cargill likely to stay private, CEO says
Miami | Reuters — Cargill, one of the world’s largest privately held corporations and a top commodities trader, will likely remain private for at least another decade, its CEO said on Tuesday as he assessed challenges facing the 150-year old company. David MacLennan, who has led Cargill for the past 13 months, also revealed that […] Read more
China approves Syngenta’s Viptera corn: reports
Chicago | Reuters — Chinese authorities have informed some agriculture industry officials that the government has approved U.S. imports of a type of genetically modified corn that has sparked lawsuits against seed maker Syngenta, according to reports from Agri-Pulse and Bloomberg. Syngenta will make an announcement about Chinese government approval of Agrisure Viptera corn, known […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
