REAR VIEW

According to Pesticide Action Network North America, the gap in sales between the world’s seven largest agrochemical companies has narrowed, according to 2001 sales reports, published in Agrow: World Crop Protection News. This is important because many of the world’s agrochemical companies also develop pesticides for the structural pest control industry.

Syngenta continued to maintain highest revenues, with nearly $5.4 billion in pesticide and seed sales. However, Bayer’s anticipated purchase of Aventis CropScience may increase Bayer’s 2002 sales to more than $6 billion.

BASF, a German multinational, reported the highest revenue increase of 39.4%, primarily the result of its 2000 acquisition of Cyanamid, a U.S.-based agrochemical company. Sales of BASF herbicides increased by 47.3%, fungicides increased by 27.5% and insecticides and other pesticides increased by 53.5%.

Dow AgroSciences also reported a significant increase in sales (11%), 9% of which is attributed to its recent purchase of Rohm and Haas, a U.S.-based agrochemical company.

Bayer and Aventis CropScience both reported steady increases in sales of herbicides and insecticides in European, Latin American and North American markets. Bayer’s top selling insecticides, all which contain imidacloprid, increased in sales by 5% to $540 million. 

Sales of Aventis’ herbicides increased by 8.1%, insecticides increased by 7.5%, and fungicides stayed at 2000 levels.

Despite maintaining the largest overall sales, Syngenta (formerly Novartis and AstraZeneca) suffered the largest decrease of the top seven companies in 2001.

Monsanto suffered overall 2001 revenue losses of 3.3%, while sales of its flagship herbicide, Roundup (glyphosate), dropped by 8% to $2.4 billion.

One Scary Callback

Hershey Chocolate Corporation union workers picket across the street from the Hershey factory after going out on strike in Hershey, Pa., in April. Nearly 3,000 Hershey Foods Corp. workers upset with a company offer that would increase their health insurance co-payments walked off the job at two Hershey factories. The pickets dubbed the large rodent balloon “Lenny” referring to Hershey Chocolate Corp. CEO Richard Lenny.