Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Dow AgroSciences, China National Rice Research Institute Announce Collaboration on Rice Research

INDIANAPOLIS and HANGZHOU, China, Feb. 17 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Dow AgroSciences LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Dow Chemical Company (NYSE: DOW), and the China National Rice Research Institute (CNRRI) of Hangzhou, China, announced today that they have entered into a research agreement to combine the strengths of Dow AgroSciences' platform of traits and technologies with CNRRI's leading rice germplasm.

"We look forward to working with CNRRI to introduce novel technologies in rice in China and the rest of the world to improve the productivity of one of the world's most important food crops and to help address the needs of our growing global population," said Daniel R. Kittle, Ph.D., vice president, R&D, Dow AgroSciences and Core Biotechnology for The Dow Chemical Company.

"We are confident that with Dow AgroSciences, a global leader in biotechnology, we will bring cutting edge technologies and innovative solutions to agriculture through this collaboration project," said Director General Cheng Shihua, Ph.D., China National Rice Research Institute.

About China National Rice Research Institute (CNRRI)

China National Rice Research Institute (CNRRI) is an integrative research institute of basic rice science in China. It was established in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province as approved by the Chinese State Council in June 1981, under the dual leadership of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS) and the Zhejiang Provincial Government.

CNRRI focuses on basic and applicable researches with priority on solving significant scientific and technical problems in rice production. Engaging in rice research at population, individual, tissue, cell, and molecular levels, its mission is to contribute food security, nutrition improvement and environment protection.

About Dow AgroSciences

Dow AgroSciences LLC, based in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA, is a top-tier agricultural company that combines the power of science and technology with the "Human Element" to constantly improve what is essential to human progress. Dow AgroSciences provides innovative technologies for crop protection, pest and vegetation management, seeds, traits, and agricultural biotechnology to serve the world's growing population. Global sales for Dow AgroSciences, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Dow Chemical Company, were $4.5 billion in 2008. Learn more at www.dowagro.com