Governor Pat McCrory and North Carolina Commerce Secretary Sharon Decker announced today that Syngenta, one of the largest agribusiness companies in the world, will expand its crop protection and seed development operations in Durham County. The company plans to create 150 new jobs in North Carolina by the end of 2018 and invest $94 million in its Durham location.
“North Carolina has its roots in agriculture and we’ve become one of the top states for hi-tech agribusiness research and production,” said Governor McCrory. “The growth of Syngenta is an example to others of the strong talent pool and attractive quality of life that characterizes the Research Triangle.”
With headquarters in Basel, Switzerland, Syngenta is one of the world’s leading companies with more than 27,000 employees in over 90 countries dedicated to the purpose of bringing plant potential to life. Through world-class science, global reach and customer commitment, the company helps increase crop productivity, protect the environment and improve health and quality of life. Syngenta and its legacy companies have had a presence in North Carolina since 1973. The company opened the first agricultural biotechnology research facility in RTP in 1984. Governor McCrory toured Syngenta in May.
“This is an extraordinary time of growth for agriculture in North Carolina,” said Michiel van Lookeren Campagne, president of Syngenta Biotechnology, Inc. “We thank all of the economic development partners from the state of North Carolina who worked so hard to help us attract this investment here. Governor McCrory and his staff and the Department of Commerce share our vision of creating an even stronger agricultural industry in North Carolina. We are proud to be a part of the region’s growing agricultural technology cluster.”