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PANUPS: Global Pesticide Sales Up




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                         P A N U P S
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                   Pesticide Action Network 
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April 29, 1996

Worldwide Pesticide Sales Increase in 1995

The top pesticide companies all recorded increases in dollar 
sales in 1995, according to Agrow: World Crop Protection 
News. Global agrochemical sales rose by 11.9% to almost US$29 
billion the past year; however, discounting inflation and 
currency factors, growth in real terms is estimated to be 
4.3%. Industry experts predict that the global agrochemical 
market will increase an average of 1.9% per year over the 
next five years. 

Ciba, a Swiss multinational corporation, was the leading 
agrochemical company with over US$3.2 billion in 1995 sales, 
an 11.2% increase over 1994. Ciba recently announced plans to 
merge with the Swiss multinational Sandoz to form a new 
corporation, Novartis. The two companies' agrochemical sales, 
which totaled more than US$4.4 billion in 1995, would be 
almost double that of their nearest rivals. According to 
Agrow, North America and Europe will account for 
approximately 60% of Novartis' sales, but the company plans 
to target Latin America and Asia as areas of future growth. 
In addition to becoming a dominating force in the 
agrochemical market, Novartis will also be the world's second 
largest seed company and plans to play a leading role in the 
introduction of genetically engineered seeds including maize, 
oilseeds, sugar beet, vegetables and flowers.

Monsanto, a U.S. based multinational, ranked second with over 
US$2.4 billion in sales, an 11% increase over 1994 figures. 
Monsanto's herbicide Roundup (glyphosate) posted double-digit 
volume growth and was largely responsible for the total 
increase in sales. The company is nearing completion of an 
herbicide formulation and packaging plant in India, which 
according to Monsanto, is necessary to meet the rising demand 
for herbicides including glyphosate in India. Monsanto has 
also announced plans to acquire Agracetus, W.R. Grace's U.S. 
plant biotechnology business. Agracetus, a pioneering 
biotechnology company, produced the first transgenic 
varieties of cotton, soybeans, peanuts and certain other 
crops. Monsanto currently has licensing agreements for some 
of this technology; however, the acquisition will give 
Monsanto unlimited access to the technology and will 
eliminate the possiblity of future disputes over intellectual 
property rights.

Of the top agrochemical companies, Bayer showed the largest 
growth in dollar sales with a 21.7% increase. The company 
rose from sixth to third place in Agrow's dollar sales 
ranking, with sales of over US$2.37 billion, and exceeded 
sales and profit targets set for its crop protection business 
in 1995. Bayer's sales greatly increased in the U.S., Asia 
and Latin America in the past year.

Zeneca ranked fourth in dollar sales with sales valued at 
over US$2.36 billion. The company saw increases in both 
volume and value in all geographical regions and product 
categories, including a 10% growth in the U.S. market. Sales 
grew by more than 7% in China and Thailand, with a 50% 
increase in sales of Gramoxone (paraquat) in China. Zeneca 
has announced plans to merge its international seed business 
with Suiker Unie, a private Dutch agricultural cooperative. 
The new company, Zeneca-VanderHave, will rank among the 
world's top five seed companies. 

The German multinational AgrEvo had 1995 sales of over 
US$2.34 billion, ranking fifth with a 9% share of the global 
agrochemical market. Over 43% of AgrEvo's sales were in 
Europe in 1995; however, the company expects to expand sales 
in the U.S. and Asia in 1996. Within the next two years, 
AgrEvo sees its U.S. market share expanding with introduction 
of the herbicide glufosinate on herbicide-tolerant crops.

Agrochemical sales of the leading companies
Company             Sales in US$ millions         % change
1. Ciba                   3,284                     +11.2
2. Monsanto               2,472                     +11.1
3. Bayer                  2.373                     +21.7
4. Zeneca                 2,363                     +12.3
5. AgrEvo                 2,344                     +14.6
6. DuPont                 2,322                      +8.9
7. Rhone-Poulenc          2,068                     +14.6
8. DowElanco              1,962                     +13.1
9. Amer. Cyanamid         1,910                     +19.4
10. BASF                  1,450                     +15.3
11. Sandoz                1,125                     +12.4

Sources: Agrow, March 1, March 15, March 29, April 19, 1996.
Contact: PANNA



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