Monsanto Acquires De Ruiter Seeds

Monsanto signed an agreement to acquire De Ruiter Seeds Group B.V., a Dutch-holding company that owns and operates De Ruiter Seeds, a global vegetable company. "De Ruiter Seeds is a leading provider of high-quality products to growers within the protected-culture vegetable seed market," said Terry Crews, chief financial officer of Monsanto and chief executive officer of Seminis, a vegetable seeds division of Monsanto. "When combined with the operational improvements we've made in our Seminis business and the growth opportunity of our marker-assisted breeding platform, this acquisition represents an opportunity to not only transform, but further grow our vegetable seed business in a high-value, fast-growing segment of the market."

The De Ruiter Seeds business will serve the protected-culture vegetable seed market, Seminis will take care of the open-field vegetable seed market, and the International Seed Group, Inc. (ISG) will address customer concerns of regional seed businesses. Monsanto's R&D sector will provide advanced breeding techniques, global germplasm network and information technology platforms.

See additional information at:
http://monsanto.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=43&item=586