Advanta acquires Unicom Seeds

Advanta India Ltd has informed that the Company has Acquired the business of Unicom Seeds Ltd ("Unicom") by acquiring 100% shares in the company for a consideration that includes deferred payment based on achievement of performance related milestones.

Unicom has a strong presence in the domestic and export markets of vegetable seeds. Unicom also undertakes the custom production of vegetable seeds for the customers all around the globe.

The Revenue size of the business of Unicom for the last FY was about Rs 25 Crores (Rupees Twenty five crores only). The business has the EBITDA earning capacity of about 30%.

With this acquisition, Company's platform in vegetable seeds will become stronger with added crops to its current vegetable product portfolio (Golden). With the added products like Melons and Cucumber from Unicom the combined vegetable portfolio (Golden and Unicom) will make Company a significant player in the Vegetable seed Market. Company hope to leverage the strong brand equity of Unicom, excellent breeding programs and outstanding production capabilities to strengthen the leadership position in this market segment.

Unicom Seeds is headquartered in Hyderabad. It has its R & D facilities in Bangalore and Hyderabad, and the production activities are concentrated in Karnataka. The marketing network of Unicom is strong and is spread across the country.

Their key crops are Tomato, Eggplant, Hot Pepper, Okra, Musk Melon, Cucumber and Water Melon. Unicom is significantly engaged in custom production for key Vegetable Seed Suppliers in Europe, Asia and USA.

Advanta buys LongReach

Advanta India Ltd has informed that Pacific Seeds Australia, a subsidiary Company of Advanta India Ltd, has purchased a controlling share of LongReach Plant Breeders (LongReach), a wheat seed breeding Company based in Australia for the sum of A$ 12 million subject to the achievement of established breeding targets to 2011.

The remaining share hold will continue to be owned by seeds and genetics Company Syngenta Seeds Pty Ltd.

This acquisition bolsters the Company's 2004 entry into the Australian wheat seed industry, providing a plant breeding and germplasm platform from which to grow this expanding business.

LongReach, through its links with Syngenta Seeds' global cereal breeding network, has access to the best available breeding technology and evaluation systems, as well as proprietary traits and germplasm from all major wheat producers. As a result LongReach has one of the fastest wheat breeding cycles in the world, deployed in a solid commercial business structure.

It is planned to utilise Pacific Seeds' strong brand recognition in the Australian market and LongReach plant breeding and germplasm credentials to establish a leadership position in the Australian wheat seed business.

Pacific Seeds has a marketing system of wheat seed associates based throughout the Australia wheat belt and similarly LongReach has breeding and evaluation programs throughout these areas as well.

Advanta India signs MOU with TEAM and CALSA

Advanta India Ltd has announced that the Company have signed independent MOUs with TEAM and CALSA for the development of their Nutrisun healthy sunflower oil.

Advanta has developed new sunflower hybrids producing an oil with increased contents of Stearic (only saturated fat neutral to cholesterol level) and Oleic acids, with a triglyceride composition conferring to it special features (higher stability and plasticity) for food industrial uses in the area of margarines, bakery, chocolates, confectionery, frying, ice-cream, and biscuits among others. Advanta's NutriSun sunflower oil is a NON GMO approach suitable to deal with the replacement of Trans and other unhealthy saturated fats. Several food Companies are currently testing the NutriSun oil through material transfer agreements with Advanta who is moving ahead with regional associations and tie ups for the development of this oil business.

Advanta is offering food Companies an opportunity to develop new products that can satisfy the increasing demand for healthy food and also seeks to work with other Companies to generate new developments to obtain high quality products that aim to meet the regulation and standards in each country on one hand and improve and protect consumer health on the other hand.

Both Team S.A. (one of the leading oil and fats Companies in Colombia and Latin America) and Calsa (a subsidiary of the £6 bn diversified international food, ingredients and retail group major Associated British Foods — ABF - UK) possess wide experience and expertise in the process of refinement, fractionation and tailor made edible oils. They are widely known for their excellent reputation in the South American region from their experience in product development, industrial process and quality of their products. Both Companies have independently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Advanta International BV, a subsidiary of Advanta. These Companies will undertake a Research Phase for the characterization of the NutriSun oil and its fractions, followed by a Commercial Phase under which the parties might continue their commercial relationship under several potential agreed options, on a regional basis.

Integration of different players in the oil chain will add value and benefit all the parties involved, especially the consumers in the commercialization of NutriSun.

Advanta, an associate of United Phosphorus Ltd, is a leading international agronomical seed Company, headquartered in Hyderabad, India. Advanta is a global leader in technical plant breeding and applications of biotechnology to develop new hybrids and variety of field crops and broad acre vegetable seeds. Advanta was acquired by the United Phosphorus group in February 2006 and was listed on the Indian bourses in April 2007.