A Chinese investment fund has paid $1.1 billion to purchase Dow Chemical Company?s corn seed business in Brazil, a move Reuters calls a further sign of China?s fast-expanding role in the global seed sector. The assets, which generated revenue of about $287 million in 2016, are being sold by Dow to meet conditions set by U.S. antitrust regulators for its $130 billion merger with DuPont. The deal will boost China?s share of the global seed business, which now includes the $43 billion takeover of Syngenta by state-owned ChemChina. ChemChina officials said recently the company is looking to snap up seed assets that rival Bayer must sell to gain regulatory approval for its takeover of Monsanto.
