In the global consumer environment, shoppers seek ever more choice. Supermarkets and home centers compete on price, and they also compete on quality, variety and availability. They seek products that offer novelty and a distinctive appeal; qualities for which their customers are willing to pay more.

Vegetables and Flowers Seeds
In vegetable seeds, Syngenta is a global leader in the market for its extensive line of high quality germplasm, further enhancing this business segment, which leads the industry in its profitability. Here, the company is particularly well positioned in above average growth markets such as Eastern Europe, Brazil and Asia.

Syngenta is using marker-assisted breeding technology to develop more than 120 new varieties for commercial launch every year across a range of crops. This outstanding flow of product innovation, coupled with the diversity of Syngentas product offer, has enabled the company consistently to outpace the market over the past five years, gaining a global market share of some 17 per cent.

In flowers, Syngenta outperformed in the higher growth segment of unrooted cuttings through superior supply chain efficiencies, which bring process benefits and cost savings directly to customers. The purchase of Dia Engei flower seeds in Japan enhanced Syngentas direct sales capability in this quality market.

Professional Products
Businesses under the Professional Products umbrella exploit the companys broad portfolio of chemical active ingredients in new ways in markets adjacent to agriculture.

Seed treatment is a growth sector that takes Syngenta products beyond conventional use in agriculture. Seed treatments directly coat the seed and protect crop growth during early stages, in contrast to sprays or granules, where farmers apply crop protection products onto the crop or soil. In 2004, the global market for seed treatment was estimated at $1.3 billion, with continued annual growth projected at six per cent. Syngentas seed treatment sales have grown at over twice this rate since 2001.

In 2004, CRUISER was the most significant growth product in seed treatment, with further success in the USA and on soybeans in Brazil. Providing protection against early-season insects and improving crop vigor, CRUISER is now registered in 73 countries on more than 21 crops, with registration granted for use on soybeans in the USA last year.

A further example in Professional Products is the turf business. Demand is increasing for turf-care products to manage and maintain golf courses, recreational and sports facilities, as well as residential and commercial landscapes, as more people place a higher priority on fitness and leisure. In 2004, Syngentas turf-care business secured a 40 per cent share of the golf course market in the USA.