Valent U.S.A. Corporation and MGK Enter into Marketing Agreement to Grow Sustainable Agriculture Brands across U.S.

27 Oct 2014 --- Valent U.S.A. Corporation announced an agreement with Minneapolis-based MGK to manage the marketing and sales of MGK’s crop protection line of insect control products within the United States beginning April 1, 2015.

The addition of the innovative organic and sustainable product line from MGK into the Valent portfolio will create an unprecedented mix of unique and valuable chemistries for managing both organic and sustainable agriculture.

“We are pleased to bring this line of quality products into our rapidly expanding agricultural portfolio,” said Valent Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Matt Plitt. “The addition of MGK’s crop protection products will enhance the scope of the value-based solutions Valent currently provides our customers in organic production, as well as growth opportunities in our conventional crop solutions category. MGK insect control products are complementary and will be sold in an integrated approach along with Valent’s existing crop protection portfolio.”

MGK products control a broad spectrum of insects on a wide variety of agricultural crops. Key OMRI listed brands include PyGanic, one of the most widely-used botanical-based insecticides in the agriculture market; Azera, a premium product for organic control of hard- and soft-bodied insects; and Veratran D, the only EPA-registered product with sabadilla as an active ingredient. The MGK portfolio also includes sustainable brands such as Tersus™, a unique solution for pre-harvest use on export specialty crops and EverGreen 60-6, a fast-killing insecticide with no pre-harvest interval.

MGK President Steve Gullickson said, “This agreement with Valent will capture synergies between MGK and the Sumitomo Chemical Company, which includes Valent U.S.A, Valent BioSciences Corporation, and the world-wide Sumitomo Chemical affiliates.”

MGK, an insect control product development company in business since 1902, became a consolidated subsidiary of Sumitomo Chemical in December 2012, when Sumitomo acquired a majority stake in MGK. MGK and Sumitomo have enjoyed a strong relationship in the US market for many years and a formal relationship through a distribution agreement since 1989. This agreement with Valent is the first collaboration in the crop protection market.

MGK will continue to manufacture their products, provide regulatory support for the active ingredients and collaborate with Valent on developmental projects. The companies are working together to ensure a smooth business transition for customers, as well as to build upon the outstanding customer service model of Valent, with seamless integration.