St. Louis, Missouri
April 16, 2002

Monsanto Company announced today it is supporting a global effort to increase production and quality of cassava by granting the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center a royalty-free license to enabling technologies commonly used in agricultural biotechnology.

"Monsanto is committed to advancing global agricultural research and to using our technologies to benefit both science and people," said Hendrik Verfaillie, Chief Executive Officer of Monsanto Company.

"By providing this license we hope to accelerate valuable research taking place in public and non-profit research institutions to benefit the developing world."

Monsanto's technologies will support efforts already underway at the Danforth Center to conduct research and further develop a comprehensive global research plan to tackle the most significant challenges facing cassava farmers, including control of disease, post-harvest deterioration, and enhancing the nutritional content of the crop.

"Part of the Danforth Center's mission is to facilitate the development and transfer of technologies for developing countries and we are pleased that we have received this license from Monsanto toward that purpose," said Roger N. Beachy, Ph.D., President of the Danforth Center.

"By granting this license, Monsanto has enabled researchers at the Danforth Center, and our collaborators around the world, to continue our important work while now freely using Monsanto technology to even further advance agricultural research on cassava, a crop that hundreds of millions of people will continue to rely upon for food security and economic development in coming decades," he said.

Cassava, a tropical crop grown for its starchy, tuberous roots, contributes to food security and rural income in many developing countries and feeds nearly 600 million people daily. A recent report by the United Nations singled out cassava as a priority for additional research in developing countries.

The United Nations' Human Development Report 2001 also encouraged greater public investment in research and development to ensure that biotechnology is used to meet the agricultural needs of the world's poor.

"By sharing our technology and other scientific knowledge, Monsanto hopes to encourage other companies and technology developers to do the same," said Robb Fraley, Chief Technology Officer of Monsanto.

"Working together in public and private sector partnerships promotes a wide variety of discoveries to enhance food security and nutrition throughout the developing world. We look forward to continuing our support of the cassava research program as it develops," said Fraley.

Monsanto also is supporting the Danforth Center's efforts to develop virus-resistant cassava through a multi-year grant from the company's philanthropic organization, the Monsanto Fund.

Monsanto's contributions to the Danforth Center are in keeping with the New Monsanto Pledge and its commitment to sharing knowledge and technology with public institutions to benefit people and the environment, particularly in the developing world.

In August 2000, Monsanto granted similar royalty-free licenses to the inventors of 'golden rice,' which is being developed to combat vitamin A deficiency in developing countries. Other sharing projects include providing access to a working draft of the rice genome and participating in work to develop virus-resistant sweet potatoes in Africa and papayas in South East Asia.

The Donald Danforth Plant Science Center is a St. Louis-based not-for-profit, basic research institution devoted to the creation of new knowledge that will lead to the sustainable production of nutritious and abundant food for the peoples of the world. For more information on the Danforth Center, see: www.danforthcenter.org .

Monsanto Company is a leading provider of agricultural solutions to growers worldwide. Monsanto's employees provide top-quality, cost-effective and integrated approaches to help farmers improve their productivity and produce better quality foods.