Biotech Updates

DuPont Makes Cotton Acquisitions in India

June 26, 2009

DuPont announced that it has made two cotton acquisitions in Andra Pradesh to enhance its product lineup in India. DuPont business Pioneer Hi-Bred has purchased the cotton seed business of Nandi Seeds and acquired cotton germplasm from Nagarjuna Seeds in a bid to tap India's US$250 million cotton seed market.

"These acquisitions will help us enter the cotton seed market here and meet the needs of Indian farmers who grow more than 9 million hectares of cotton each year – more than anywhere else in the world," said K.V. Subbarao, Pioneer India's manager. Pioneer currently offers corn, rice, pearl millet, sunflower and mustard in the Indian market.

The acquisitions are the latest in a series of investments by DuPont in India. DuPont recently established the DuPont Knowledge Center (DKC) in Hyderabad which includes the Biotechnology Research Center.

The press release is available at http://www2.dupont.com/Media_Center/en_US/daily_news/june/article20090626.html