Reading Time: 2 minutes 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

Syngenta ready to play role in sector shake-up

Ag chem division not for sale, Bayer says
Reading Time: < 1 minute 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
Reading Time: 3 minutes 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

Bayer postpones plant opening to meet canola seed demand
Reading Time: 1 minute Frost, wind, moisture and even flea beetles have already devastated Prairie canola crops this season, leading to unprecedented reseeding — and seed companies are struggling to meet the extra demand. Bayer CropScience announced Thursday it will postpone Friday’s scheduled grand opening of its new Lethbridge, Alta. seed processing plant, so staff can focus on meeting […] Read more
Prairie farmers scramble for canola seed after frost
Reading Time: 2 minutes Winnipeg | Reuters –– Western Canadian farmers are scrambling to find scarce canola seed as they reseed crops snuffed out by frost and insects. Farmers in the region have until mid- to late June to plant ahead of insurance deadlines, but the later they sow canola, the higher the risk of damage later from heat […] Read more