FMC Moves Into Biological Crop Protection Business

Sugarcane sales gain in Brazil.

FMC Corp. said it entered into two deals as it seeks to branch out from synthetic chemicals into biological herbicides, insecticides and fungicides.

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The Philadelphia-based diversified chemicals company said it signed an exclusive agreement with Chr. Hansen, a Danish biosciences company specializing in cultures, enzymes and fermentation, to develop and commercialize biological crop protection products. FMC also acquired the Center for Agricultural and Environmental Biosolutions (CAEB), a division of North Carolina-based RTI International, specializing in sustainable agriculture research.

The existing collaboration between FMC and Chr. Hansen will yield the Brazilian launch of the branded Nemix C biological product for use on sugarcane in late 2013, targeting the world’s biggest sugarcane market of 9 million hectares. FMC said going forward, the alliance will expand into other regions and crop types with existing and new products.

Under the agreement, Chr. Hansen will provide scouting, screening, scale up and fermentation manufacturing expertise while FMC will provide scouting, screening, formulation capabilities, product development, registration and global market access. The two companies will develop new products, knowledge and biological expertise within the collaboration’s framework.

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FMC said its acquisition of CAEB gives it a “proprietary discovery and development platform through the addition of a state-of-the art research facility, a team of accomplished scientists, a pipeline of biological products in various stages of development and a world-class library of microbes with deep intellectual property assets, including patent-pending technologies.”

CAEB’s facility, located in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, will become its biological headquarters within FMC’s global R&D network. The work conducted at the facility will feed directly into FMC’s strategic alliance with Chr. Hansen, the company said.

Financial terms of the deals were not disclosed.

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