DuPont Sees Strong Long-Term Growth, Margin

DuPont Sees Strong Long-Term Growth, Margin

Jim Borel

DuPont expects to grow its Agriculture & Nutrition revenue by 8 to 10% through 2015 and increase pre-tax operating margins in the range of 19 to 21% in the same time period for the seed, crop protection and nutrition and health businesses, DuPont Executive Vice President Jim Borel told attendees of the Goldman Sachs Agricultural Biotech Forum yesterday.

“The DuPont Agriculture & Nutrition segment delivered double-digit sales growth in 2010 while investing aggressively in research,” said Jim.  “We gained market share, received 30 regulatory approvals in the seed business alone and advanced nine programs across our seed and crop protection pipelines.

North America seed orders are the first indication of success against the goal and are on pace with growth targets, with the most recent classes of Pioneer® brand corn hybrids making up approximately 40% of 2011 volumes.

Pioneer® brand Y Series soybeans continue to demonstrate strong performance, and 31 new varieties have been added for the 2011 product line-up.

“Our momentum is fueled by our relentless focus on innovation and meeting the needs of growers,” said Jim.  “Our approach to the marketplace is allowing us to deliver on our commitment to increase global food productivity through innovative solutions.”

Jim said the seed business expects growth in North America and internationally. The crop protection business is driving results by focusing on developing markets, growth in high-value crops and delivering new innovations.

“Both the seed and crop protection businesses are investing in powerful pipelines, innovating to meet our customers’ needs and provide them more options,” Jim said.  “We continue to improve focus and speed by dynamically resourcing our pipelines.”

Jim provided an overview of the research pipelines in his presentation, which is available on the DuPont Investor Center.

“As we look ahead to 2011 and beyond to 2015, we’re confident we’ll be able meet our targets by continuing to focus on innovation, execution and meeting the needs of growers,” Jim said.

View the press release.

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