FEANETUREWS
n Sales of recently acquired products million gain related to Brazilian accounts. of 2007. The results add to the strong second quarter ended 30 September
boosted the revenues of American Volume and product portfolio effects growth recorded in the first half, when 2007. The company’s agrochemical
Vanguard (Amvac – Los Angeles, raised operating profit by 42%, while prices sales were up by 19.8%. Chairman and sales registered Rs1,001.2 million
California) by 10.5% to US$56.6 million and currency effects impacted earnings CEO Avraham Bigger is upbeat. “The (US$25.3 million), an increase of
in the third quarter of 2007. Sales of negatively by 14% and 9%, respectively. positive trends of the agricultural market, 28.3% over the same quarter last year.
the maize insecticide, Impact (BASF’s which were manifested in the first half of Strong growth in both domestic and
topramezone), grew “substantially”, while n Portuguese trade authorities the year, continued into the third quarter export markets resulted in the positive
the insecticides, Counter (terbufos) and conditionally dropped charges in and resulted in strong demand for crop performance. The agrochemical division
Thimet (phorate), also made significant October against Bayer CropScience for protection products in all regions and accounted for 58.5% of total sales of
contributions, the company says. Amvac anticompetitive practices. Portuguese product groups.” Rs1,711.1 million for the company.
acquired Counter and Thimet from BASF agrochemical company Sapec Agro
in 2005 and 2006, respectively. It gained (Lisbon) had complained that Bayer n DuPont has opened an office in Sofia, n The South African generic
North American rights to topramezone in had added anti-competitive clauses Bulgaria, as part of its growth strategy for agrochemical company, Volcano
2005. to contracts with its distributors.The emerging markets. The new office follows AgroScience (Durban), has entered
competition authority, the AdC, found the opening of one in Serbia in November. into a partnership agreement with the
n Cheminova’s sales rose by 18.4% to that Bayer’s contracts contained a clause They are the latest of a string of sites Cape-based fruit, grapevine and cereal
DKr 1,177 million (US$217 million) in that was contrary to national legislation that the company has set up in the east crop protection products distributor,
the third quarter of 2007 and were “less on competition. The AdC required Bayer European region, including offices in Nexus (Paarl). The deal will give Cape
than expected” for a second consecutive to: withdraw the offending clause; inform Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary, farmers a wider range of products
year, the company says. The boom in its distributors of its withdrawal; and Romania and the Baltic countries. suitable for high-value crops, the
biofuels, and consequently high crop send it a copy of the new contracts. It has companies say. Such crops are grown
prices, boosted demand for Cheminova’s “archived” the case. n After a lacklustre first quarter, in the region, as the Cape covers the
agrochemical products, but that was Indian company Meghmani Organics country’s profitable wine and citrus
partly offset by continuing difficulties in n Sumitomo Chemical’s first-half (Ahmedabad) has bounced back in the fruit producing area.
the company’s Latin American business. agrochemical sales were hit by lower
Sales in the first nine months of the year prices on world markets and inventory
MAI’s sales
1
by region (US$ million)
were up by “just over” 5% to DKr 3,266 adjustments in Japanese distribution
million, following a first-half decline due to channels, the company says. However,
3rd qtr ended 30 Sept
unsatisfactory market developments and household pesticide sales remained “solid”
2006 % change 2007
a strike. Agrochemicals account for about outside of Japan. Overall sales for the Europe 145.1 + 23.6 179.4
90% of Cheminova’s revenues. company’s agricultural chemicals division,
South America 117.0 + 35.9 159.0
which includes feed additives, rose by
North America 69.5 + 14.1 79.3
n Increased sales in North America and 5.6% to ¥100,623 million (US$843 million)
Israel 25.7 – 2.7 25.0
Europe contributed to a 10.7% rise in in the six months ended September 30th
Rest of world 50.3 + 6.4 53.5
Chemtura’s crop protection revenues to 2007. Interim pesticide sales are not
Total 407.6 +21.7 496.2
US$83 million in the third quarter of 2007. available, but they account for around 77%
Nine months
Some US$7 million of the US$8 million of divisional sales. Sales of US subsidiary
revenue gain was due to higher volumes, Valent recorded a 5.5% increase in first-
Europe 555.3 + 20.7 670.0
according to Chemtura chief financial half sales to ¥26,900 million. Increased
South America 279.8 + 30.3 364.5
officer Stephen Forsyth.The higher sales development and other costs reduced North America 275.5 + 13.6 313.0
volumes, coupled with the lack of the Valent’s profits “slightly”, Sumitomo says. Israel 89.2 – 9.3 80.9
Brazilian bad debt provision in the same
Rest of world 159.8 +10.8 177.0
period last year, resulted in operating n Makhteshim-Agan Industries (MAI)
Total 1,359.7 +18.1 1,605.4
profit more than doubling to US$16 saw agrochemical sales rise by 25.5%
1
includes non-agro sales.
million. Earnings benefited from a US$7 to US$451.6 million in the third quarter
www.agrow.com • January 008 
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