ChinaChem takeover of Syngenta – Greenpeace statement

Beijing, February 4. – On the announcement of ChemChina to takeover the pesticide and seed company Syngenta, Philippe Schenkel, EcologicalFarming Campaigner at Greenpeace Switzerland, said:

Beijing, 4 February 2016 – On the announcement of ChemChinato take over the pesticide and seed company Syngenta, Philippe Schenkel,Ecological Farming Campaigner at Greenpeace Switzerland, said:

“The proposed takeover of Syngenta by ChemChina – a stateowned Fortune 500 company – is another indication that Big Agribusiness is inturmoil. The continuing concentration of corporate power in the agriculturalsector will lead to increased dependencies of farmers on just a handful ofglobal players. The current system of industrial agriculture, promoted by bigcorporations puts profit over people and undermines the farmers’ freedom tochoose what they grow and how.”

Zhang Jing, Food and Agriculture Campaigner at Greenpeace East Asia BeijingOffice, said: “The industrial agricultural system is based on large-scalemonocultures, GE-crops and giant inputs of fertilizers and pesticides. It leadsto severe environmental damage and degradation all over the world, putting ourfood diversity and food security at risk.”

Greenpeace together with consumers and farmers demand an increase in ecologicalfarming solutions, which guarantee both a good livelihood for farmers and ruralcommunities and healthy nutritious food without threatening environment orwildlife.

Background information on ChemChina:

China National Chemical Corporation (ChemChina) is a state-owned enterpriseestablished by reorganizing the subsidiary companies under the former Ministryof the Chemical Industry. ChemChina is ranked 265th on the “Fortune Global500.” With revenues of US$45 billion in 2015, ChemChina is China’slargest chemical company. It has more than 140,000 employees with 48,000outside China. ChemChina is active in basic and special chemicals, oilprocessing, agrochemicals, tire & rubber products and chemical equipment.

Syngenta is not the first enterprise that ChemChina takes over. During recentyears, ChemChina has taken over several companies of different industries suchas the tyre giant Pirelli and Krauss-Maffei-Wegmann. ChemChina said that theiraim is to accelerate the development of Syngenta and building new markets andopportunities, obviously focussing on Asia, especially China.