FORM 6-K
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
Report of Foreign Issuer
Pursuant
to Rule 13a-16 or 15d-16
of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
For the month of October 2006
Commission File Number: 001-15152
SYNGENTA AG
(Translation of registrant’s name
into English)
Schwarzwaldallee 215
4058 Basel
Switzerland
(Address of principal executive offices)
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant files or will file annual reports under cover of Form 20-F or Form 40-F:
| Form 20-F X | Form 40-F |
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is submitting the Form 6-K in paper as permitted by Regulation S-T Rule 101(b)(1):
| Yes | No X |
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is submitting the Form 6-K in paper as permitted by Regulation S-T Rule 101(b)(7):
| Yes | No X |
Indicate by check mark whether by furnishing the information contained in this Form, the Registrant is also thereby furnishing the information to the Commission pursuant to Rule 12g3-2(b) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934:
| Yes | No X |
If “Yes” is marked, indicate below the file number assigned to the registrant in connection with Rule 12g3-2(b): N/A
| Re: | SYNGENTA AG |
| Press Release: “Third Quarter Trading Statement 2006” |
Filed herewith is a press releases related to Syngenta AG. The full text of the press releases follows:
# # #
| Item 1 | ||
 |
Syngenta International AG Media Office CH-4002 Basel Switzerland Telephone: +41 61 323 23 23 Fax: +41 61 323 24 24 www.syngenta.com |
| Media Release |
Third Quarter Trading Statement 2006
Basel, Switzerland, 20 October 2006
Sales in the third quarter of 2006 increased by 1% to $1.41bn (2005: $1.39bn); at constant exchange rates (CER) sales were unchanged. For the first nine months sales were 1% lower (CER) at $6.61bn.
In Crop Protection, third quarter sales rose 2% (CER). In the low season in the northern hemisphere, sales in Europe, Africa and the Middle East were higher with further growth in Eastern Europe; in NAFTA sales were lower reflecting a challenging environment in the USA. Growth slowed somewhat in Latin America in difficult market conditions in Brazil. Broad based growth was achieved in Asia Pacific.
For the first nine months, sales of new products rose 20% to $784 million. In the quarter, fungicides sales were higher following an inventory adjustment in the USA in 2005; lower sales of selective herbicides reflected timing differences between the last two quarters; insecticides sales were lower in comparison with a strong performance last year. In Professional Products, Conrad Fafard, Inc. was consolidated in the quarter.
Seeds sales were 5% lower in the quarter. In Corn & Soybean, higher corn sales in the USA were more than offset by lower soybean sales due to end of season channel adjustments; sales in Latin America were lower primarily due to reduced acreage in Brazil. Diverse Field Crops again generated strong growth, notably in Eastern Europe. Vegetables and Flowers also delivered a good performance driven, in particular, by the expanding demand for fresh produce in NAFTA and double digit growth in the developing markets of Asia Pacific.
For the full year 2006, the company continues to target double digit growth in earnings per share*.
* Fully diluted, before restructuring, impairment and share repurchase program.
Syngenta is a world-leading agribusiness committed to sustainable agriculture through innovative research and technology. The company is a leader in crop protection, and ranks third in the high-value commercial seeds market. Sales in 2005 were approximately $8.1 billion. Syngenta employs some 19,000 people in over 90 countries. Syngenta is listed on the Swiss stock exchange (SYNN) and in New York (SYT). Further information is available at www.syngenta.com.
| Analyst/Investor Enquiries: | Jonathan Seabrook (Switzerland) | +41 61 323 7502 | ||
| Jennifer Gough (Switzerland) | +41 61 323 5059 | |||
| Rhonda Chiger (USA) | +1 (917) 322 2569 | |||
| Media Enquiries: | Médard Schoenmaeckers | +41 61 323 2323 | ||
| Sarah Hull (USA) | +1 (202) 628 2372 |
| Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements | |||||
| This document contains forward-looking statements, which can be identified by terminology such as ‘expect’, ‘would’, ‘will’, ‘potential’, ‘plans’, ‘prospects’, ‘estimated’, ‘aiming’, ‘on track’ and similar expressions. Such statements may be subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause the actual results to differ materially from these statements. We refer you to Syngenta's publicly available filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for information about these and other risks and uncertainties. Syngenta assumes no obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect actual results, changed assumptions or other factors. This document does not constitute, or form part of, any offer or invitation to sell or issue, or any solicitation of any offer, to purchase or subscribe for any ordinary shares in Syngenta AG, or Syngenta ADSs, nor shall it form the basis of, or be relied on in connection with, any contract therefore. |
Syngenta Third Quarter Trading Statement 2006 / Page 1 of 3
| Unaudited Nine Months Product Line and Regional Sales |
| Syngenta | 9 Months 2006 | 9 Months 2005 | Actual | CER(1) | ||||||||
| $m | $m | % | % | |||||||||
| Crop Protection | 5119 | 5155 | - 1 | - | ||||||||
| Seeds | 1541 | 1637 | - 6 | - 4 | ||||||||
| Plant Science | 1 | 0 | + 58 | + 58 | ||||||||
| Inter-segment elimination(2) | (51 | ) | (16 | ) | - | - | ||||||
| Third Party Sales | 6610 | 6776 | - 2 | - 1 | ||||||||
| Crop Protection | ||||||||||||
| Product line | ||||||||||||
| Selective herbicides | 1568 | 1640 | - 4 | - 3 | ||||||||
| Non-selective herbicides | 601 | 565 | + 6 | + 6 | ||||||||
| Fungicides | 1346 | 1423 | - 5 | - 3 | ||||||||
| Insecticides | 854 | 876 | - 3 | - 1 | ||||||||
| Professional products | 709 | 636 | + 11 | + 11 | ||||||||
| Others | 41 | 15 | - | - | ||||||||
| Total | 5119 | 5155 | - 1 | - | ||||||||
| Regional | ||||||||||||
| Europe, Africa and Middle East | 1834 | 1923 | - 5 | - 1 | ||||||||
| NAFTA | 1882 | 1900 | - 1 | - 2 | ||||||||
| Latin America | 635 | 604 | + 5 | + 5 | ||||||||
| Asia Pacific | 768 | 728 | + 6 | + 8 | ||||||||
| Total | 5119 | 5155 | - 1 | - | ||||||||
| Seeds | ||||||||||||
| Product line | ||||||||||||
| Corn & Soybean | 745 | 854 | - 13 | - 12 | ||||||||
| Diverse Field Crops | 278 | 275 | + 1 | + 6 | ||||||||
| Vegetables and Flowers | 518 | 508 | + 2 | + 4 | ||||||||
| Total | 1541 | 1637 | - 6 | - 4 | ||||||||
| Regional | ||||||||||||
| Europe, Africa and Middle East | 617 | 638 | - 3 | + 2 | ||||||||
| NAFTA | 766 | 849 | - 10 | - 10 | ||||||||
| Latin America | 79 | 83 | - 4 | - 4 | ||||||||
| Asia Pacific | 79 | 67 | + 19 | + 20 | ||||||||
| Total | 1541 | 1637 | - 6 | - 4 | ||||||||
| (1) | Growth at constant exchange rates. |
| (2) | Crop Protection inter-segment sales to Seeds. |
Syngenta Third Quarter Trading Statement 2006 / page 2 of 3
| Unaudited Third Quarter Product Line and Regional Sales |
| Syngenta | 3rd Quarter 2006 | 3rd Quarter 2005 | Actual | CER(1) | ||||||||
| $m | $m | % | % | |||||||||
| Crop Protection | 1203 | 1168 | + 3 | + 2 | ||||||||
| Seeds | 222 | 228 | - 3 | - 5 | ||||||||
| Plant Science | 0 | 0 | - | - | ||||||||
| Inter-segment elimination(2) | (14 | ) | (6 | ) | - | - | ||||||
| Third Party Sales | 1411 | 1390 | + 1 | - | ||||||||
| Crop Protection | ||||||||||||
| Product line | ||||||||||||
| Selective herbicides | 255 | 289 | - 12 | - 13 | ||||||||
| Non-selective herbicides | 179 | 174 | + 3 | + 1 | ||||||||
| Fungicides | 281 | 222 | + 27 | + 25 | ||||||||
| Insecticides | 252 | 275 | - 9 | - 9 | ||||||||
| Professional products | 219 | 218 | + 1 | - | ||||||||
| Others | 17 | -10 | - | - | ||||||||
| Total | 1203 | 1168 | + 3 | + 2 | ||||||||
| Regional | ||||||||||||
| Europe, Africa and Middle East | 382 | 354 | + 8 | + 4 | ||||||||
| NAFTA | 303 | 318 | - 5 | - 5 | ||||||||
| Latin America | 308 | 297 | + 4 | + 4 | ||||||||
| Asia Pacific | 210 | 199 | + 6 | + 6 | ||||||||
| Total | 1203 | 1168 | + 3 | + 2 | ||||||||
| Seeds | ||||||||||||
| Product line | ||||||||||||
| Corn & Soybean | 37 | 64 | - 42 | - 42 | ||||||||
| Diverse Field Crops | 36 | 32 | + 11 | + 7 | ||||||||
| Vegetables and Flowers | 149 | 132 | + 13 | + 10 | ||||||||
| Total | 222 | 228 | - 3 | - 5 | ||||||||
| Regional | ||||||||||||
| Europe, Africa and Middle East | 100 | 98 | + 2 | - 3 | ||||||||
| NAFTA | 50 | 57 | - 12 | - 12 | ||||||||
| Latin America | 44 | 50 | - 12 | - 12 | ||||||||
| Asia Pacific | 28 | 23 | + 18 | + 17 | ||||||||
| Total | 222 | 228 | - 3 | - 5 | ||||||||
| (1) | Growth at constant exchange rates. |
| (2) | Crop Protection inter-segment sales to Seeds. |
Syngenta Third Quarter Trading Statement 2006 / page 3 of 3
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
| SYNGENTA AG | ||||
| Date: | October 20, 2006 | By: | /s/ Christoph Mäder | |
| Name: | Christoph Mäder | |||
| Title: | Head Global Legal & Taxes | |||