Syngenta Biotechnology Inc

Syngenta employs 25,000 employees in over 90 countries, and is dedicated to developing agricultural products for growers which help them meet the rising demands on agriculture, including seeds, seed treatments and crop protection. Founded in 2000, the company is headquartered in Basel, Switzerland. Syngenta is a leader in crop protection, and ranks third in the high-value commercial seeds market. Sales in 2009 were approximately $11 billion.

Company position on biofuels:

• Biofuels help address the challenges of energy security and climate change. 
  
• Syngenta supports current biofuels development to get to the next phase of efficient transformation of plant material into transportation fuel. 
  
• The strong growth of biofuels has been influenced by geopolitical considerations and oil price changes. 
  
• Plant-expressed enzymes are a key future innovation from Syngenta; the only truly renewable sources are plants. 
  
• Efficient biofuels production will help reduce competition for land and food, and will have no greater impact on biodiversity than conventional crops.

Company involvement and interests in biofuels:

* Syngenta is involved in researching and developing crops that make biofuel production more efficient and sustainable. The opportunity that biofuels represent to Syngenta is not defined by one crop or one technology. As the largest global company fully dedicated to agriculture and plant science, Syngenta helps growers improve agricultural productivity and enhance the value of their crops in order to meet growing demand and reduce competition between food and fuel. 

• Plant-expressed enzymes, such as corn amylase, offer great potential for improving ethanol production efficiency. 
  
• Tropical sugarbeets allows sustainable ethanol production in the tropics, providing new opportunities for smallholder farmers in developing countries, and increasing production in marginal areas where the effects of climate change are most acute. 
  
• Second-generation biofuels will use organic waste matter, and not the food part of the plant. Syngenta is actively involved in moving toward the next phase of efficient transformation of plant material into transportation fuel.

Businesses:

• Herbicides, insecticides, and fungicides for crop protection 
  
• Field crops, vegetables, and flower seeds 
  
• Seed care products 
  
• Turf, garden, home care, and public health products

Main production sites:

• Monthey, Switzerland
  
• Kaisten, Switzerland 
  
• Grangemouth, United Kingdom 
  
• Huddersfield, United Kingdom
  
• Greens Bayou, Texas, USA 
  
• Omaha, Nebraska, USA 
  
• St. Gabriel, Louisiana, USA 
  
• Aigues-Vives, France 
  
• St. Pierre-la-Garenne, France 
  
• Nantong, China 
  
• Goa, India 
  
• Paulinia, Brazil

External links:

Syngenta