Monsanto Company Announces Agreement to Acquire De Ruiter Seeds, a Leading Global Vegetable Seed Company

St Louis, Missouri (ots/PRNewswire) -

- Acquisition Expected to Expand Monsanto's Vegetable Seed
Portfolio in the Fast-Growing Protected-Culture Segment, Enable it
to Accelerate the Delivery of Value-Added Products to Growers and
Consumers

Monsanto Company (NYSE: MON) announced today that it signed a
definitive agreement to acquire De Ruiter Seeds Group B.V., a
Dutch-holding company that owns and operates De Ruiter Seeds, for
EUR546 million, or greater than US$800 million depending on currency
exchange rates, less net debt. Once completed, the acquisition is
expected to build on the strength of Monsanto's vegetable seed
business as well as enhance the company's growth in the
protected-culture segment, the fastest-growing space within the
vegetable seeds industry.

"De Ruiter Seeds is a leading provider of high-quality products
to growers within the protected-culture vegetable seed market," said
Terry Crews, chief financial officer of Monsanto and chief executive
officer of Seminis, a vegetable seeds division of Monsanto. "When
combined with the operational improvements we've made in our Seminis
business and the growth opportunity of our marker-assisted breeding
platform, this acquisition represents an opportunity to not only
transform, but further grow our vegetable seed business in a
high-value, fast-growing segment of the market."

"We are pleased to have entered into this agreement with Monsanto
who is a global leader in agriculture technology," said Biense Visser
chief executive officer of De Ruiter Seeds. "De Ruiter's investment
in high-quality seeds, our leadership in the protected-culture
market, and our dedicated professionals will be a valuable addition
to Monsanto's business and a new platform for its advanced breeding
technology and value-added products. We look forward to working with
Monsanto to deliver novel value-added vegetable seed products to
growers and consumers around the world."

De Ruiter acquisition set to offer synergistic benefits to
Monsanto's vegetable seed platform

"De Ruiter Seeds mission of product leadership fits well with our
seeds and traits growth strategy and, upon completion, this
acquisition is expected to transform Monsanto's vegetable seed
platform into a US$1 billion revenue business by 2012," said Crews.

Monsanto and De Ruiter Seeds believe the acquisition will create
a number of synergistic benefits between the companies. Monsanto's
established and growing research in marker-assisted breeding is
expected to offer an immediate jump-start for De Ruiter Seeds
breeders. The combination of De Ruiter Seeds' rich pool of genetics
and their operating experience within the protected-culture segment
is expected to further enhance Monsanto's service of the vegetable
seed market. Together, these synergistic benefits are expected to
enable both companies to offer better products to growers and do so
faster than either company could have done on its own.

De Ruiter Seeds to serve as protected culture business for
Monsanto's vegetable seeds portfolio

Upon completion of the transaction, Monsanto's vegetable seed
business will serve its customers through three dedicated platforms
including: protected-culture, open field and regional vegetable seed
businesses. The De Ruiter Seeds business will serve the
protected-culture vegetable seed market, Seminis will serve the
open-field vegetable seed market, and the International Seed Group,
Inc. (ISG) will serve customers of regional seed businesses.

The three-prong approach is expected to enable Monsanto's
vegetable seed businesses to focus on serving the needs of growers
and their retail distribution customers across these segments. To
support these segments, each business will benefit from Monsanto's
R&D engine, advanced breeding techniques, global germplasm network
and information technology platforms. Upon completion of the
acquisition, Monsanto will work to incorporate the back-office
support functions at De Ruiter including finance and IT as quickly as
possible.

Biense Visser, the president and chief executive officer of De
Ruiter Seeds, will continue to lead De Ruiter Seeds business. The De
Ruiter Seeds business will report into Kerry Preete who currently
leads Monsanto's vegetable seed businesses.

De Ruiter Seeds serves as leader in fast-growing protected
culture segment

De Ruiter Seeds is one of the world's leading vegetable seed
breeding companies. The Netherlands-based company had global sales of
approximately EUR108 million in 2007. The company works with crops
such as tomatoes, cucumbers, melons, peppers and rootstock (used for
tomato culture purposes); and focuses on breeding novel varieties for
the protected-culture segment, commonly known as greenhouse or
plastic house agriculture.

De Ruiter Seeds currently holds the number one global sales
position for tomato and rootstock within the protected-culture
segment, as well as a top-five position for cucumbers and peppers in
this segment. De Ruiter Seeds also holds a top-five position for
melons within the vegetable seed market.

The protected-culture segment is the fastest-growing space within
the vegetable seed industry today, with an estimated compound annual
sales growth rate of approximately 8 percent to 10 percent over the
next five years. Industry estimates suggest that the segment realized
over US$600 million in sales worldwide in 2007. The protected-culture
segment is growing as consumers in North America and Europe demand
greater quantities of fresh produce year round, and this pattern is
expected to continue as consumers throughout Asia increase their
demand for fresh vegetables and implement dietary improvements.

Financial Implications of the Acquisition

Monsanto intends to finance the acquisition with cash. The
acquisition is expected to be accretive to Monsanto's earnings per
share (EPS), cash flow and revenue growth by the second-full fiscal
year following closure of the acquisition.

The proposed acquisition requires review and approval by the
appropriate regulatory authorities, including several European-based
regulatory authorities. Because of these required regulatory
approvals, no timeframe has been announced for the closing of this
transaction.

Additional Details

In conjunction with today's announcement, Monsanto posted a
related presentation to the Investor section of the company's web
site at http://www.monsanto.com/investors. This presentation outlines
additional information on the De Ruiter Seeds business and Monsanto's
research in vegetable seeds.

About Monsanto Company

Monsanto Company is a leading global provider of technology-based
solutions and agricultural products that improve farm productivity
and food quality. For more information, please visit the company's
web site at http://www.monsanto.com.

About De Ruiter Seeds

De Ruiter Seeds breeds, produces and sells hybrid vegetable seeds
for top vegetable products such as tomato, cucumber, aubergine,
pepper, melon and rootstock. De Ruiter Seeds is one of the top
breeding companies in the world. For more information, please visit
the company's web site at http://www.deruiterseeds.com.

Cautionary Statements Regarding Forward-Looking Information:

Certain statements contained in this release are "forward-looking
statements," such as statements concerning the company's anticipated
financial results, current and future product performance, regulatory
approvals, business and financial plans and other non-historical
facts. These statements are based on current expectations and
currently available information. However, since these statements are
based on factors that involve risks and uncertainties, the company's
actual performance and results may differ materially from those
described or implied by such forward-looking statements. Factors that
could cause or contribute to such differences include, among others:
continued competition in seeds, traits and agricultural chemicals;
the company's exposure to various contingencies, including those
related to intellectual property protection, regulatory compliance
and the speed with which approvals are received, and public
acceptance of biotechnology products; the success of the company's
research and development activities; the outcomes of major lawsuits;
developments related to foreign currencies and economies; successful
operation of recent acquisitions; fluctuations in commodity prices;
compliance with regulations affecting our manufacturing; the accuracy
of the company's estimates related to distribution inventory levels;
the company's ability to fund its short-term financing needs and to
obtain payment for the products that it sells; the effect of weather
conditions, natural disasters and accidents on the agriculture
business or the company's facilities; and other risks and factors
detailed in the company's most recent report on Forms 10-Q and 10-K.
Undue reliance should not be placed on these forward-looking
statements, which are current only as of the date of this release.
The company disclaims any current intention or obligation to update
any forward-looking statements or any of the factors that may affect
actual results.

Notes to editors: Seminis is a trademark of Monsanto Company and
its wholly owned subsidiaries. De Ruiter Seeds is a trademark of De
Ruiter Seeds.

ots Originaltext: Monsanto Company and De Ruiter Seeds
Im Internet recherchierbar: http://www.presseportal.de

Contact:
Contact Media: Marleen van Balkom, De Ruiter Seeds,+31-0-10-5292-674;
Media: Lee Quarles, Monsanto, +1-314-694-2330; Media: Mica Veihman,
Monsanto/Seminis, +1-314-694-2992; Analysts: Scarlett Lee Foster,
Monsanto, +1-314-694-8148