The control of this company costs Monsanto 1.5 billion of US$. If approved by the American authorities, the multinational will become the global leader of cotton seeds. The company is already the leader on the market of vegetables seeds through Seminis that it owns since 2005 and has strong participation in the markets of soy and corn.

This agreement has still to be approved by the stakeholders of Delta & Pine. Also, Monsanto wants to avoid a new veto by the amercian government, as it had been the case in 1998 when the Department of Justice had cancelled a similar agreement between the two companies. As a weeding present Monsanto is ready to sell its division of cotton seeds in Stoneville, (US), responsible for 10 % of sale of cotton seeds on the american market. Delta & Pine controls 52% of the market of cotton seeds in the US and owns the technology "Terminator".

The competition in the global market of seeds has increased in the last couple of months. Last may, Monsanto has already bought the cotton division of Syngenta Seeds and the month before, it has bought license for the use of germaplasm of its rival, Pioneer, property of the american multinational, Dupont. The German company, Bayer, which controls 20% to 30% of the US market of cotton seeds has also step up its sells in this segment.

In Brazil, the seed sector is already controlled by multinationals. Delta & Pine controls 25% to 30% of the cotton seed sector. Monsanto did not reveal its shares but has already control over 10% of the corn seeds market.

It is estimated that it exists one thousand five hundred seeds companies in the world that generate a business of 30 billions of US$ per year.

 To know more about this acquisition and its enventual consequences: http://www.etcgroup.org/search.asp?slice=recent