Hyderabad, India
June 25, 2009
DuPont today announced it has made two cotton acquisitions
in India to enhance its product lineup and strengthen its
growing business here. DuPont business
Pioneer Hi-Bred has
purchased the cotton seed business of
Nandi Seeds, based in
Mehboob Nagar, Andhra Pradesh, India, and acquired cotton
germplasm from Nagarjuna Seeds, based in Secunderabad, Andhra
Pradesh, India.
“These acquisitions will help us enter the cotton seed market
here and meet the needs of Indian farmers who grow more than 9
million hectares of cotton each year – more than anywhere else
in the world,” said K.V. Subbarao, country manager -- Pioneer
India. “Cotton is a natural fit for Pioneer in India. It
completes our high-value product and service offering to farmers
and enables us to further strengthen our growing seed business
here.”
Pioneer currently offers corn, rice, pearl millet, sunflower and
mustard in the Indian market and has grown revenue 40 percent
annually for the last five years to reach about $70 million in
2008.
“Agriculture, food and nutrition is a key growth segment for
DuPont in India, and these acquisitions are part of the
company’s strategy to expand its presence here,” said Balvinder
S. Kalsi, president -- DuPont India. “We are positioning our
market-driven science company to grow at a faster pace by
leveraging opportunities that will enable us to contribute to
India’s sustainable economic development.”
This is the latest in a series of investments by DuPont in
India. Pioneer recently announced the opening of a new corn
research center in Bangalore to speed delivery of new, improved
products to market and meet the growing demand for food and
feed. The new Bangalore center is the fifth field research
facility in India for Pioneer and will develop high-yielding
hybrids adapted to the unique growing conditions in the area.
DuPont has significantly increased its seed research investment
in India in 2008 and has increased capacity for product
development and evaluation across the country.
DuPont also recently established the
DuPont Knowledge Center (DKC) in Hyderabad, India, which
includes the Biotechnology Research Center, a key location for
global biotech research. This biotech center is the first
integrated agriculture and industrial biotechnology research
center for DuPont outside the United States, and is one of five
global agricultural biotech research facilities where DuPont
conducts biotech discovery work. The other research facilities
are in Wilmington, Del., U.S..; Johnston, Iowa, U.S.; Redwood
City, Calif., U.S.; and Beijing, China.
Pioneer has been selling hybrid seed in India for more than 30
years and is one of the nation’s leading suppliers of improved
seed genetics. Pioneer supports the sale of its products to more
than 1.5 million customers in India with an extensive sales and
agronomy team that works closely with Indian farmers to get the
right product on the right hectare to maximize their
productivity and profitability.
Pioneer Hi-Bred, a DuPont business, is the world’s leading
source of customized solutions for farmers, livestock producers
and grain and oilseed processors. With headquarters in Des
Moines, Iowa, Pioneer provides access to advanced plant genetics
in nearly 70 countries.
DuPont India is a subsidiary of DuPont. The DuPont association
with India extends back more than 200 years, since the first
shipment of raw materials for black powder for explosives was
imported from India into the United States in 1802. Today,
DuPont India, with more than 1,000 employees, markets a wide
range of products in various market segments. The company has
six production facilities in India in three locations for DuPont
Crop Protection, DuPont Engineering Polymers, DuPont Refinish,
and Pioneer® hybrid seeds.
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.
The DuPont Oval Logo, DuPont™, The miracles of science™ and
Pioneer® are registered trademarks or trademarks of DuPont or
its affiliates. |
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