Dow interested and Bayer not in acquiring Syngenta
"I would say that Syngenta is not a logical acquisition target for Bayer because there is quite some overlap in the businesses," Bayer's CEO Marijn Emmanuel Dekkers told CNBC.
"Both Syngenta and Bayer are very strong in chemical crop protection: herbicides, insecticides, fungicides that farmers use to fight off disease for their crops. So no, that is not a logical target for Bayer."
However Dow CEO Andrew Liveris recently said the company has both the curiosity and the capacity to acquire Syngenta's seed business if Monsanto were to acquire its Swiss rival in a hostile takeover.
Syngenta rejected a recent takeover bid by Monsanto, saying it was not in the best interest for the company, its shareholders or other stakeholders.
Following Syngenta's rejection of a deal, Brett Begemann, Monsanto's president and CEO, downplayed rumors of a hostile takeover during an interview with Reuters last week. He said first the company wants to find out more about Syngenta's research capabilities and sales numbers before deciding on how to proceed.
Should Monsanto ultimately succeed in taking over Syngenta, Liveris said Dow would be interested in discussing a possible deal for the seed business.
"If there is a round of consolidation that makes sense for our investors, we will be at the table," Liveris told a reporter for Bloomberg Business.
Source: Crop Protection News, CNBC