陶氏农业科学 创下第四季度销售额$8.85亿的记录，比去年同期高出2%。 Dow AgroSciences 报告其全年销售额增长 20% 至 $45 亿美元，反映出销量增长 8% 和价格上涨 12%。
这标志着陶氏益农连续第十个季度创下与去年同期相比的销售记录。销量下降 4%，但价格上涨 6%。除亚太地区外，所有地区的价格均上涨，而北美的价格和销量均上涨。
种子销售额与去年同期相比有所增长，这主要受美国玉米销售额和拉丁美洲向日葵销售额的带动。由于产品短缺和一些地区农民缺乏可用信贷，农用化学品的销售额下降。
继续其战略增长议程，陶氏益农收购了 布罗德贝克种子, Südwestsaat GbR and the corn assets of 科迪特 在巴西，自 2007 年 5 月以来的收购数量达到 9 起。
Its agriculture division was a bright spot for the company. The economic recession dropped demand for plastic and industrial products, resulting in Dow Chemical Co.’s first net loss in six years, according to 彭博网.这家总部位于美国密歇根州的化学公司一年前亏损 $15.5 亿美元，而净收入为 $4.72 亿美元。
Chief Executive Officer Andrew Liveris announced that Dow will be closing factories and cutting jobs to cope with a global recession, which he predicts could last all year. In December, Dow said it will eliminate about 5,000 jobs, or 11 percent of the global workforce, permanently closing 20 facilities and idling 180 plants. Dow’s contractor workforce is being cut by 6,000 globally. Dow ran its plants at 44% capacity in December – its lowest ever – and at 64% for the total fourth quarter.
While full-year sales rose 7.5% to $57.5 billion, net income plunged 80% to $579 million, Dow Chemical said. “With a global economic crisis unfolding during the quarter, we responded with speed and urgency to get ahead of the demand destruction that continued to accelerate as we approached the end of the year,” Liveris said in the statement. “We are assuming that the late 2008 demand levels will continue for several quarters and possibly beyond.”