BASF-Nufarm agreement changes: BASF to distribute crop protection products directly in Australia

Melbourne, Australia – January 23, 2013 – BASF and Nufarm Australia Ltd today announced that, following the expiry of their distribution agreement, BASF will directly distribute its range of crop protection products to the Australian market, effective March 1, 2014. The BASF product portfolio has been distributed in Australia by Nufarm and Crop Care since 2004.

“Our distribution relationship with Nufarm and Crop Care has been successful for ten years. But to invest further in our portfolio of innovations for sustainable agriculture in Australia, we have taken the strategic decision to re-enter the market in our own right”, said Raman Ramachandran, Senior Vice President, BASF Crop Protection Asia Pacific. “We are excited about this opportunity and look forward to building a strong presence in the Australian market with an expanded product offering.”

Nufarm Australia General Manager, Lachie McKinnon said the opportunity to market BASF products has helped Nufarm and Crop Care establish much stronger positions in a number of key market segments, including horticulture.

“We are absolutely committed to ensuring our distribution and grower customers continue to have access to a broad portfolio of products and we will invest in additional product development to support that commitment.” He added that the companies are discussing areas of potential collaboration which will result in greater value for growers in Australia.

Further details of the transition will be advised by both companies over the coming months.

About Nufarm
Nufarm is a leading global crop protection company which develops, manufactures and sells a wide range of crop protection products, including herbicides, insecticides and fungicides, that help crop producers protect their crops against damage caused by weeds, pests and disease. We sell our products in most of the world’s major agricultural regions. We also have a proprietary seed technologies business with a portfolio covering canola, sorghum and sunflower crops. We are the leading supplier of crop protection products to the Australian market.

About BASF
BASF is the world’s leading chemical company: The Chemical Company. Its portfolio ranges from chemicals, plastics, performance products and crop protection products to oil and gas. We combine economic success, social responsibility and environmental protection. Through science and innovation we enable our customers in almost all industries to meet the current and future needs of society. Our products and system solutions contribute to conserving resources, ensuring healthy food and nutrition and helping to improve the quality of life. We have summed up this contribution in our corporate purpose: We create chemistry for a sustainable future. BASF posted sales of about € 73.5 billion in 2011 and had more than 111,000 employees as of the end of the year. BASF shares are traded on the stock exchanges in Frankfurt (BAS), London (BFA) and Zurich (AN). Further information on BASF is available on the Internet at www.basf.com.

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