Dow AgroSciences Blockbuster Cleared in U.S. And Canada
A regulatory approval by the Chinese government clears the way for Indianapolis-based Dow AgroSciences LLC to release its Enlist trait in the United States and Canada. The Asian nation’s Ministry of Agriculture has approved the import of corn containing the weed control technology. The Dow Chemical Co. (NYSE: DOW) subsidiary considers the Enlist trait the biggest development in its history.
The technology is part of a suite of products for a variety of crops designed to manage resistant and hard-to-control weeds. Dow AgroSciences Chief Executive Officer Tim Hassinger says "we are very excited to bring the Enlist system to farmers in the U.S. and Canada. The feedback on the performance during our Stewarded Introduction has been extremely positive, as growers have been very impressed with both the weed control as well as the formulation advancements we have made, reducing the potential for drift and volatility."
Enlist corn will be sold in the U.S. and Canada as SmartStax Enlist and PowerCore Enlist hybrids and the technology will be licensed to other seed companies.
Enlist cotton was launched last year and the company is awaiting final import approvals for Enlist soybeans and Enlist E3 soybeans. Enlist hit the market in 2014.
Last week, Dow AgroSciences’ parent Dow and DuPont (NYSE: DD) received permission from the U.S. Department of Justice to move forward with a proposed $130 billion merger. If complete, the resulting company, DowDuPont, plans to split into three independent companies. One focused on agriculture would maintain a major presence in Indianapolis at the current Dow AgroSciences campus on the northwest side of Marion County.