Wilmington, Delaware
November 9, 2006
Strong yield, agronomic
performance in North America and positive momentum in Brazil
In a briefing today with investment analysts,
DuPont (NYSE: DD) said its
subsidiary Pioneer Hi-Bred
International, Inc. is seeing strong product performance
from its seed products from this year's harvest in North America
and continues to grow in Brazil despite a difficult agricultural
economy in that country.
"With the results in on almost 20,000 field tests, Pioneer corn
is averaging 6 bushels per acre more than competitors' products,
a 50 percent increase in the Pioneer corn yield advantage over
last year," said William
S. Niebur, vice president -- DuPont Crop Genetics Research &
Development. "We are especially excited about the performance we
are seeing from our newer corn products."
"The new corn hybrids yielded 8.6 bushels better on average
across nearly 2,000 comparisons against competitive corn
hybrids," said Niebur.
Niebur said Pioneer soybean varieties also out-yielded the
competition on average again in 2006. Pioneer soybeans developed
with proprietary marker technology have delivered yield gains
three times the industry
average over the past five years.
"Growers have recognized the performance advantages of Pioneer
soybeans. Pioneer North America soybean market share has
increased by six points in five years," said Niebur.
In North American corn, the Herculex® family of traits is also
providing control against a broader range of insects and is
providing more consistent corn rootworm protection than other
in-plant products on the
market. Niebur said that the company is making good progress in
ramping up the right trait packages that will realize the full
potential of plant genetics and further improve farmer yields
and economics.
As growers in North America are completing their harvest,
farmers in Brazil are finishing planting for corn and soybeans.
"The agricultural economy in Brazil is as tough as it has been
in a number of years," said Paul Schickler, Pioneer vice
president for International Operations. "But, thanks to our
strong customer relationships and terrific product performance,
we are growing our business in Brazil."
Schickler said the company expects to grow both corn and soybean
seed market share in Brazil again this planting season, building
on share gains for both in 2005. Key to future growth in the
high-value segment of this
large market is the Pioneer system for farmer access and
capturing value for biotech products and continued research and
infrastructure investments in seed production, testing and
marketing.
The presentation and an audio webcast have been archived in the
DuPont Investor Center at
http://www.dupont.com.
DuPont is a science-based products and services company.
Founded in 1802, DuPont puts science to work by creating
sustainable solutions essential to a better, safer, healthier
life for people everywhere. Operating in more than 70 countries,
DuPont offers a wide range of innovative products and services
for markets including agriculture and food; building and
construction; communications; and transportation.
® Herculex is a registered trademark of Dow AgroSciences LLC. |