April 26, 2006

Dow AgroSciences and MTI inks agreement for technology exchange
 

Dow AgroSciences LLC and Austrian-based Maize Technologies International (MTI) announced a licensing agreement which would allow the former exclusive rights to MTI's US corn development programmes.

Under the agreement, Dow AgroSciences would have access to MTI's US corn breeding program and exclusive rights to breed and commercialise existing and future corn seed products in the US and Canada.

In return, MTI would have access to the Herculex Insect Protection traits from Dow AgroSciences.

The agreement would allow MTI to focus on its core business areas in Western, Central and Eastern Europe while allowing it access to one of the leading pipelines for biotechnology traits, Lutz Krafft, CEO of MTI said, adding that both elements are important for MTI's future business development.

Meanwhile, Dow Agrosciences said the the agreement would add to the company's germplasm base and product development programme.

The company expects the MTI programme to contribute new products to its pipeline and diversify their breeding efforts, according to Tom Wiltrout, global business leader, Corn and Sorghum, for Dow AgroSciences.

MTI is a corn seed company with affiliates in France, Czech Republic, Slovak Republic and Moldova. The company develops corn hybrid products for the temperate corn seed markets using genetic diversity developed over the past 40 years.

Dow AgroSciences, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Dow Chemical Company, is a top-tier agricultural company providing crop protection, seeds and biotechnology solutions.