Syngenta Group Co. Ltd. announced June 18 the official launch of Syngenta Group, a new global leader in agricultural science and innovation. Under a single entity, it unites the strengths of Switzerland-based Syngenta AG, Israel-based ADAMA and the agricultural businesses of Sinochem based in China. The new entity, headquartered in Switzerland, has 48,000 employees in more than 100 countries and had sales of $23 billion in 2019.

Syngenta Group is the global market leader in crop protection, number three globally in seeds, the market leader in fertilizer in China and, with its Modern Agriculture Platform Farmer Solution Centers, the leading agricultural service provider in China. It offers comprehensive agronomic solutions and digital agricultural services. With 15 key production sites, the group has a strong capacity to supply farmers with the solutions they need. Syngenta Group’s mission is to deploy scientific innovations, technologies and services to help farmers sustainably provide the world with better food, feed, fiber and fuel while conserving resources and protecting the environment.

Under its new structure, the organization encompasses four business units:

Erik Fyrwald, formerly chief executive officer of Syngenta AG, becomes CEO of Syngenta Group; Chen Lichtenstein, formerly CEO of ADAMA, becomes chief financial officer of Syngenta Group; Steve Landsman becomes Syngenta Group general counsel, and Laure Roberts becomes Syngenta Group chief human resources officer.

“I am pleased that our new organization is ready to bring the diversity and expertise of our teams to deliver the broadest range of sustainable and competitive products,” Fyrwald said. “Customers will continue to get the full attention of the businesses as they currently serve them, but the capabilities each brings will be enhanced where it adds value by collaboration across the Syngenta Group.”

Each of the companies incorporated into Syngenta Group have a long history of more than 250 years. In addition to Switzerland, Israel and China, the group has deep roots in many other countries, including the U.S., where the global Syngenta Seeds business and research and development (R&D) are headquartered, Brazil and the U.K. Syngenta Group is among the most diverse businesses in the world, the announcement said.

The new group places a high value on ethics and integrity and seeks to create value for all of its stakeholders: farmers, employees, suppliers and society.

“Our sustainability as an enterprise depends on the health of the soil and the environment as a whole,” Fyrwald said. “We measure our success not just by our business performance but by the benefits we bring to farming and the environment.”

The people of Syngenta Group are sharply aware that today’s farmers face a wide range of challenges, including climate change, soil degradation, plant diseases and the urgency to achieve greater sustainability and biodiversity. The group’s businesses offer the tools required to address these challenges, enabling them -- despite weather extremes -- to grow better crops reliably and economically and to feed the world safely, sustainably and with respect for the planet, the announcement explained.

The group’s approach is embodied in its Good Growth Plan in which its commitment to the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals is firmly anchored. In late June 2020, Syngenta Group will announce its new Good Growth Plan. This will be the group’s first major initiative after its launch and will address the shifting challenges faced by farmers around the world and society’s changing expectations of agricultural technology and sustainability.

Sustainability and collaboration are also at the heart of Syngenta Group’s R&D activities. At more than 100 R&D sites, the group’s chemists and biologists collaborate extensively with growers, academics, non-government organizations, businesses and regulators with the goal of providing seed, crop protection and nutrition innovations and technologies capable of sustainably ensuring food security and enhancing global prosperity.