Herculex® Receives Regulatory Approval in Brazil

Biotech Trait Should Lead to Greater Productivity, Profitability for Brazilian Farmers

BRASILIA, Brazil. – DuPont business Pioneer Hi-Bred and Dow AgroSciences LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Dow Chemical Company, today announced that they have received regulatory approval granted by the Brazilian National Commission on Biosafety, CTNBio, for cultivation of the Herculex® I insect protection trait in Brazil. The Herculex® I trait is the only biotechnology trait that provides the highest level of protection available to Brazilian growers against fall armyworm and sugarcane borer, which can devastate Brazilian corn yields.

“Today’s approval is a tremendous win for everyone in the value chain,” said Paul E. Schickler, Pioneer president and DuPont vice president and general manager. “Brazilian growers win with higher yields and less inputs, seed suppliers win with greater revenue potential from this high-value trait and grain buyers win because they will get a more consistent supply of high-quality grain.”

Herculex® I offers season-long control against a broad spectrum of insect pests which feed on Brazilian corn, including fall armyworm and sugarcane borer. The registration of Herculex® I will allow farmers to use it as part of an integrated pest management system to attain higher yields of quality grain with fewer pesticide applications per year.

“This approval provides growers in Brazil – the third-largest corn producing nation in the world – with a wider range of enhanced crop protection technologies and offers greater opportunities for them to compete in the global market,” said Antonio Galindez, Dow AgroSciences vice president, Crops Global Business Unit.

“Herculex® I, our first transgenic corn offering in Brazil, also is approved for cultivation in the United States, Canada and Argentina and is authorized for food and feed uses in major grain-importing nations such as Japan, Korea and Mexico.”

Dow AgroSciences and Pioneer formed a research collaboration in 1995 to develop insect resistant traits for themselves and for out-licensing. Herculex® I was launched in the United States in 2003. While the two companies jointly developed the traits, they are marketing them separately. Dow AgroSciences is responsible for all out-licensing.