UPL Ltd. is planning to buy Corteva Agriscience’s solo mancozeb global fungicide business outside of China, Japan, South Korea and European Union member countries, a Jan. 9 news release said.
“This acquisition is a meaningful milestone for UPL and for farmers, it strengthens our portfolio of solutions and leadership in the multisite fungicide market. We are committed to expanding our offering for plant disease management, and supporting farmers globally to achieve sustainable crop yields and enhanced food security outcomes,” Christina Coen, chief marketing officer of UPL, said in the release.
The acquisition will give UPL ownership of Dithane, the original global mancozeb brand which has provided farmers with a reliable disease management solution, as well as access to Rainshield technology which enables crop protection in wet weather conditions, the release said.
The release noted mancozeb is a highly effective protective fungicide used to prevent plant diseases across a range of crops, including rice, soybean, wheat, onions, potatoes and other vegetables and fruits.
As of Nov. 19, 2022, foliar applications of mancozeb in Canada were limited to eight per growing season for potatoes, with the re-entry interval now being 0.5 days and the pre-harvest interval three days. The 2023 crop year was the last year of use for mancozeb potato seed piece treatments.
The UPL acquisition is limited to Corteva’s solo formulations of mancozeb, with Corteva retaining ownership of premix formulations, the release. The transaction is subject to customary approvals and expected to conclude Q1 of FY24-25. This acquisition includes all data, registrations, trademarks for Corteva’s solo mancozeb products, and a license to the Rainshield technology but excludes manufacturing and formulation facilities.
