Price pressure stalls re-shoring in US agrochemicals, but business was brisk with positive energy at the Specialty & Agro Chemicals America event. Gregory D.L. Morris reports from Savannah

FMC Corporation has agreed to sell its Global Specialty Solutions (GSS) business to Envu for $350 million, subject to closing working capital adjustment. The deal is expected to close by year-end 2024, subject to regulatory approval and other customary closing conditions. FMC intends to allocate all proceeds to debt reduction.

India’s PI Industries has agreed to acquire UK-based Plant Health Care (PHC), a specialist in protein and peptide technology for agricultural applications, for £32 million. This is subject to a UK court process, which, among other things, requires approval by shareholders holding at least 75% of the shares. It is expected to be completed by Q2 of the 2025 fiscal year.

Market and sustainability trends are positive drivers for Saltigo, despite the agro downturn. Andrew Warmington met up with the new CEO at Chemspec Europe

Chemspec Europe 2024 in Düsseldorf on 19-20 June was the first for the new CEO of Saltigo. Michael Schäfer had been with the parent company Lanxess since 2007, mostly in the Material Protection Products business unit, which he headed for ten years before moving to take over at Saltigo in February.

Chicago-based CC Industries (CCI) has acquired Foremark Performance Chemicals from SK Capital Partners. No financial details were disclosed. CEO Randy Owens and the rest of the management team will stay in place and Foremark will continue to operate as a stand-alone entity.

Foremark produces proprietary natural gas sweeteners, chemical building blocks and slow-release fertilisers from a highly automated, vertically integrated facility at League, Texas. Its customer base is mainly the Gulf Coast region of the US.

Jubilant Ingrevia has commissioned a new 2,000 tonnes/year facility for diketene derivatives at Gajraula in India’s Uttar Pradesh state. The company’s supplies these to the pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals and other industries, including the US and the EU. This and early efforts to get customer product approvals, are expected to account for much of the capacity utilisation in the coming months.

BioConsortia, a California-based specialist in advanced microbial products for agriculture, has announced some field trial results confirming that levels of nitrogen-replacement from its nitrogen-fixing seed and soil treatment products met or exceeded performance expectations when evaluated in potatoes, tomatoes and lettuce. This expands their potential market beyond cereals.