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Greensboro, NC (June 18, 2009) -- Improvements at its facility in Omaha, Neb., will allow Syngenta to produce Quilt® fungicide at 10 times the current capacity.

With its fungicide sales up 25 percent last year and a forecast for strong demand to continue, Syngenta Crop Protection is investing in a major expansion of manufacturing capacity for its leading fungicide, azoxystrobin. Azoxystrobin is the foundation of the fungicide portfolio and can be found in brands such as Quadris®, Quilt and Abound®.

Azoxystrobin is protected under U.S. patents until 2014.

Syngenta announced the capacity expansion program in 2008, when it began with a planned investment of $600 million worldwide over three years for azoxystrobin and the insecticide thiamethoxam. In the U.S., the Syngenta manufacturing site in Omaha will operate on a new system utilizing continuous formulation instead of the current batch process.

“With the new system we’ll be able to produce Quilt at 10 times the old manufacturing rate,” said Randy Schomers, Syngenta plant manager. “This will allow us to be much more flexible and responsive to customer needs.”

Expansion at Omaha began in March 2009, and the new system is expected to be online by the first quarter of 2010.

Jamie Eichorn, Syngenta fungicide brand manager, said the investment decision was supported by the product’s success to date, U.S. patent protection, and favorable long-term trends toward improving Plant Performance™.

“In 2008 fungicides became the largest Syngenta product category, led by azoxystrobin brands,” Eichorn said. “Global sales of azoxystrobin surpassed $1 billion, and we expect demand to be strong long-term in the U.S. and globally.”

For more information, please visit www.syngenta-us.com or www.farmassist.com.

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