Corteva Agriscience could split into two companies

Biotech seed producer Corteva Agriscience could be looking to split its seed and pesticide businesses into separate companies, Progressive Farmer reported from a Wall Street Journal (WSJ) article. Quoting “people familiar with the matter”, the WSJ report said Corteva had a market value of around US$50bn “and could unveil its plans soon, assuming the talks don’t hit any last-minute snags”. Corteva was created as part of the 2017 merger between DuPont and Dow Chemical, becoming a standalone, publicly traded company in 2019. It is among the largest US crop protection producers, competing with Switzerland’s Syngenta and German firms BASF and Bayer. While Corteva and its competitors had closely teamed their seed businesses and biotech traits with their pesticide offerings, the WSJ article on 12 September suggested one reason for separating Corteva’s seed unit from its pesticide business would be to “help shield its seeds from any future liabilities associated with its pest and ...