38 I EUROPEAN SEED I EUROPEAN-SEED.COM INDUSTRY NEWS TAILORED TO SEED PROFESSIONALS, INDUSTRY NEWS DELIVERS THE PEOPLE, RESEARCH, BUSINESS AND PRODUCT NEWS YOU NEED TO KNOW. SUBMISSIONS ARE WELCOME. EMAIL US AT NEWS@ISSUESINK.COM. INDUSTRY NEWS Nufarm has completed the acquisition of a European herbicide product portfo- lio from FMC Corporation. The proposed acquisition was announced to the market on 8 November 2017 and has since been progressing through the required reg- ulatory approvals. Nufarm’s program of work to integrate the portfolio into its European product suite is well advanced. In the first full year of Nufarm owner- ship (FY19), the portfolio is expected to generate net sales of approximately $30 million and contribute EBITDA of approx- imately $15 million. In the 2018 financial year Nufarm anticipates an underlying EBITDA contribution from the newly acquired product portfolio of approxi- mately $5 million. Bayer and MS Technologies™ have achieved a milestone on their path to delivering increased yield and enhanced weed control solutions for soybean grow- ers. The FG72 x LL55 herbicide tolerant trait stack received a positive scientific opinion from EU Food Safety Authority (EFSA), which was subsequently accepted by the European Commission for the importation of FG72 x LL55 soy- beans for food and feed uses. This follows receipt of approvals already from the U.S., Canada, and Brazil for cultivation. “Weed control system flexibility and the ability to manage weeds have become increas- ingly important to soybean growers; this solution will really occupy a unique space,” says Joseph Merschman, MS Technologies. “This product combines two highly effective and commercially available herbicide tolerance traits and packages them in industry leading, top- tier genetics to achieve exceptional weed control and yield.” Syngenta and the Kansas Wheat Commission are pleased to announce a new wheat variety for the Central Plains named in honor of Bob Dole, former state legislator and U.S. senator from the heart- land. Developed by Kansas State University, the hard-red winter wheat variety Bob Dole will be available through AgriPro brand wheat for the 2018 season thanks to a pub- lic-private partnership between Syngenta and Kansas wheat farmers through the Kansas Wheat Commission and Kansas Wheat Alliance. “I am honored to be the namesake of this new wheat variety that will be grown in America’s heartland,” says Dole. “Wheat feeds people across the coun- try and throughout the world, so I am par- ticularly humbled that my name is attached to such a fundamental source of global nutrition. I believe in the value of this part- nership between Syngenta and the Kansas Wheat Commission – an alliance that will ensure continued access to quality food.” PEOPLE NEWS IRRI is pleased to announce the appoint- ment of Dr. Uma Shankar Singh as the Interim Director of the IRRI South Asia Regional Centre. The appointment took effect on 1 November 2017. Dr. Singh is widely recognized as an authority on seed and eco-friendly management of plant diseases. He is also a fellow of the National Academy of Agricultural Sciences in India and served on vari- ous key scientific committees such as the Indian Phytopathological Society, the Governing Body of the Jharkhand Agriculture Development Council, and the Apex Committee to formulate the Pesticide R&D policy of India. He served as a visiting scientist at the Rothamsted Experiment Station in Harpenden, UK. East-West Seed is pleased to announce that Ard Groot has been appointed the Chairman of the Supervisory Board (SB) effective 1 January 2018. He succeeds his father and company founder Simon Groot, who will continue to serve the Board as Honorary Chairman and Founder. “I’m greatly inspired to take up this role, with the support of our members of the supervisory board (SB), our dynamic and forward-looking board of management (BOM), dedicated managers and all our 5,000 professional and hard-working staff around the world,” says Ard Groot. “I am happy to build on the legacy that my father Simon worked so persistently to create. We have come a long way in the last 35 years. Since our humble beginnings, we have established strong and mature companies in many countries. Innovation leading to improved vegetable crops with better yield and quality is now fully accepted and appreciated by farmers.” S&W Seed Company is pleased to announce the appointment of David Callachor as Commercial Manager – Hybrid Crops. Callachor will oversee sales and marketing and future development of the S&W hybrid sorghum and sunflower seed business on a global basis. S&W acquired its hybrid sorghum and sun- flower seed business from SV Genetics (“SVG”), a private Australian company.