Syngenta and InterGrain Enter Barley Breeding Collaboration

BASEL, Switzerland, June 27, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Syngenta announced today that it has entered into a barley breeding collaboration with InterGrain, an Australia-based crop breeding company. The collaboration will enable Syngenta and InterGrain to exchange germplasm to develop innovative integrated solutions for barley growers across the world. Syngenta will gain exclusive global commercialization rights for all new barley varieties developed, and exclusive rights to commercialize existing varieties in the InterGrain portfolio outside Australia.

"At Syngenta, we are building on the strength of our broad portfolio to realize untapped technology potential for the benefit of the grower," said John Atkin, Syngenta COO. "This collaboration will enable us to share our complementary assets and capabilities and to develop innovative crop-based agronomic solutions that will offer unparalleled quality and yield for barley growers across the world."

InterGrain Board Chairman, Dale Baker, said "This initiative is good news for Australian barley growers as it integrates the breeding and commercialization expertise of the two companies and combines two complementary germplasm pools. This will increase productivity and enable InterGrain to retain its position as the leading barley breeding company in Australia."

Following some 20 years of investment in barley, Syngenta is committed to reinforcing its global leadership in the crop by continuously developing new technologies tailored to the needs of the grower. The primary focus of InterGrain is to provide the Australian grains industry with access to elite varieties and to enable growers to compete effectively in domestic and international markets.

Syngenta is one of the world's leading companies with more than 26,000 employees in over 90 countries dedicated to our purpose: Bringing plant potential to life. Through world-class science, global reach and commitment to our customers we help to increase crop productivity, protect the environment and improve health and quality of life.  For more information about us please go to www.syngenta.com.

SOURCE Syngenta