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Annual Review 2009

Bringing plant potential to life


Syngenta is one of the worlds leading companies with more than 25,000 employees in over 90 countries dedicated to our purpose: Bringing plant potential to life. With our innovation in Crop Protection and Seeds, we contribute to addressing global challenges. Our challenge
A growing population with an increasing demand for food is putting pressure on limited natural resources such as soil and water. To meet this challenge the world needs to grow more from less.
For more information, see page 8

Our contribution
Increasing yields through technology
For more information, see page 10

Using natural resources responsibly


For more information, see page 14

Improving crop quality


For more information, see page 12

Benets for rural communities


For more information, see page 16

Contents
Our approach Highlights in 2009 Chairmans letter Chief Executive Ofcers letter Global challenges Our contribution 01 02 04 06 08 10 Crop Protection Seeds Lawn and Garden Research and Development People Operations 18 22 26 28 30 32 Board of Directors Executive Committee Financial information Corporate Responsibility performance summary Shareholder information 34 36 38 46 50

Visit our online Annual Report at www.syngenta.com/ar2009

Strategic goals
Drive land productivity through innovation
Maximizing land productivity while conserving scarce resources such as water.

Create new businesses


Bringing together Syngenta Flowers and Professional Products to serve the specic needs of Lawn and Garden customers.

Build leadership in plant performance


Offering full crop programs and solutions to increase crop vigor and yield as well as control pests.

Maintain cost efciency


Targeting annualized operational efciency savings of $290 million by 2011 to enable continued investment in growth initiatives.

Capitalize on Seeds investment


Expanding our sales of both genetically modied and conventional seeds to achieve a signicant increase in Seeds protability over the medium term.

Outperform the industry


Building on the breadth of our business, spanning Crop Protection, Seeds, Traits and Seed Care, to provide a unique offer of integrated crop technology.

Expand in emerging markets


Through signicant investments in people, portfolio and supply chain.

Financial and business performance 2009


Sales1

$11bn
Earnings per share2

09 08 07

10.99 11.62 9.24

Crop Protection
Syngenta offers a leading range of Crop Protection and Seed Care products that help growers control weeds, prevent disease and protect their crops from insects. Crop Protection sales decreased by 2 percent1 to $8.5 billion in 2009. Crop Protection sales1,5
09 08 07 8,491 9,231 7,285

+1% (CER)
09 08 07 15.76 16.26 11.45

$15.76
Free cash ow3

3%
09 08 07 580 761 802

$8.5bn
Seeds
6.00 6.00

2% (CER)

For more information, see page 18

$580m
Dividend per share4

24%
09 08 07

CHF6.00

4.80

Syngenta develops high-quality seeds that help growers boost yields and quality in a wide range of crops. Seeds sales in 2009 rose by 13 percent1 to $2.6 billion, and the EBITDA margin climbed to 9.5 percent. Seeds sales

0%

$2.6bn

09 08 07

2,564 2,442 2,018

+13% (CER)

For more information, see page 22

Lawn and Garden


The new Lawn and Garden business offers a range of plant health solutions for consumers and professional growers. It comprises Professional Products and Flowers Seeds, which are reported under Crop Protection and Seeds, respectively.
For more information, see page 26

1 2 3 4 5

Growth at constant exchange rates (CER) Fully diluted excluding restructuring and impairment For a denition of free cash ow, see page 44 Subject to shareholder approval at the Annual General Meeting on April 20, 2010 Including inter-segment sales

Corporate Responsibility
Sustainable agriculture
We aim to contribute to food security and sustainable agriculture by helping farmers improve yields on existing land, conserve valuable natural resources such as soil and water and preserve biodiversity.

Environment
We aim to minimize the environmental impacts of our operations throughout the life of our products from research and development to manufacture, use and disposal.

Product stewardship
We aim to ensure the safety of our employees, customers and consumers by setting strict safety standards in our operations and promoting the safe and effective use of our products by farmers around the world.

Business ethics
Our Code of Conduct commits us to maintain the highest ethical standards in everything we do, and we encourage employees to report any suspected violations.

People and communities


We respect our diverse workforce and aim to help each of our people develop their talent. We aim to benet rural communities where we operate by helping farmers improve productivity.

Corporate Responsibility performance 2009


Number of farmers trained
To ensure that farmers around the world achieve the best results with our products, we regularly hold training sessions on the safe and effective use of our products.

Environment
We are committed to reducing the environmental emissions necessary to produce our products. Increased resource efciency in our main production sites has ensured that we are on track to reach our global reduction target by 2012. CO2e kg /$EBIT1
09 08 07 0.76 0.75 0.93

Number of people trained

3.9m
People

09 08 07

3.9 2.4 3.2

For more information, see page 33

0.76

For more information, see page 33

Health and safety


Our target is to maintain an injury and illness rate (IIR) below 0.5 per 200,000 hours worked. In 2009, the IIR dropped to 0.42 and 76percent of our sites had no recordable injuries and illnesses. Injury and illness rate
09 08 07 0.42 0.50 0.49

We employ more than 25,000 people in over 90 countries. This rich cultural diversity is also reected in the composition of our senior management, with 24 nationalities represented. Nationalities in senior management
09 08 07 24 22 17

24

For more information, see page 31

0.42

For more information, see page 33

1 Excluding restructuring and impairment

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Syngenta Annual Review 2009

Broad portfolio, global reach, local focus


Through our world-class science, broad portfolio, leading crop solutions and strong presence in all agricultural markets, we are uniquely positioned to help growers around the world to grow more from less. Our approach
Leading in research and development Conserving precious soil Providing high-quality seeds

With a $1 billion annual investment in R&D, 5,000 people and a global network of R&D centers, Syngenta leverages scientic insights in plant physiology, chemistry and biotechnology to help address growers diverse needs.

Syngenta products, such as herbicides, play a critical role in conserving soil. They reduce the need for tilling and thereby the risk of erosion through wind and rain. This is complemented by extensive training and stewardship programs to promote modern agricultural practice.

Syngenta breeds high-quality seeds for corn, soybean, sunower and other eld crops, vegetables and owers. We use conventional breeding techniques as well as modern biotechnology to provide growers with the best choice for high yields and quality.

Protecting plants from the start

Enhancing plant performance

Benets for customers and rural communities

With our world-leading seed care technology we give young plants the best start, enabling strong and healthy growth as the basis for high yields and superior quality. Coating seeds with our products protects them against insects and disease.

Our broad range of safe and efcient crop protection products helps to drive yield and improve quality. They protect crops from insects and disease and reduce competition from weeds for nutrients and water. They also improve plant vigor and can help to reduce yield losses in periods of drought.

Our innovations and technology provide our customers with a broad range of benets. Consumers appreciate features such as better taste and healthier food. In rural communities we help to improve livelihoods through raising agricultural productivity, training and stewardship programs.

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Syngenta Annual Review 2009

Highlights in 2009

Robust performance in a challenging environment


In 2009, we continued to strengthen our leading market positions in Crop Protection and increased protability in our Seeds business. We engaged actively in the public debate on agriculture, and through innovation and technology we made an essential contribution to ensuring food security.

Creating value in Crop Protection New markets, expanding use

Throughout the year, we continued to roll-out our high-performing products in new markets, on additional crops and in new combinations, creating value for growers through higher crop yields and quality, and improved application. Following its successful introduction in vegetables in Asia, our broad-spectrum herbicide DURIVO was launched in rice. We completed more than 1,000 large plot trials in the US for our seed treatment nematicide, AVICTA, in preparation for expansion into corn in 2010.

Expanding Seeds positions Acquisitions strengthen sunower and vegetable seeds business

In August, Syngenta acquired Monsantos global hybrid sunower seeds activities, including germplasm, development and breeding, for a consideration of $160 million. This acquisition will further strengthen the leading position of Syngentas sunower seeds business in Europe and Latin America. In November, we acquired two US-based lettuce seed companies, establishing a signicant position in the North American lettuce market and broadening our lettuce development portfolio in Europe and Asia.

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Syngenta Annual Review 2009

Preserving biodiversity Strengthening our portfolio Engaging in the debate Syngenta to boost pollinators Syngenta and Dow AgroSciences Advancing technology in cross license corn traits agriculture to ensure food security across Europe

Syngenta and Dow AgroSciences agreed in April to cross license their respective corn traits for commercialization within their branded seed businesses. The agreement will allow both companies to maximize the value of their technologies and to bring greater choice and exibility to growers. It also demonstrates the value of Syngentas proprietary technology in corn.

Syngenta contributes actively to the public debate about global challenges such as food security, water and climate change. We seek to engage in an open dialogue with a broad range of stakeholders, including political leaders, NGOs and scientic experts. In 2009, we participated in numerous events such as the World Economic Forum as well as conferences organized by the US Department of Agriculture and the International Chamber of Commerce.

In July, Syngenta announced a ve-year program to provide 10,000 hectares of essential habitat and food sources for pollinating insects across Europe. OPERATION POLLINATOR aims to boost the numbers of native pollinating insects across seven European countries and will enable growers to cultivate wild ora that are favored by pollinating insects on the edges or near elds of commercial farms. The program will be assessed annually by an independent scientic auditor.

Developing agriculture Technology and agronomic knowledge for African farmers

Working in partnerships Collaboration with IRRI in rice and CIMMYT in wheat

Broadening our offer New corn seed technologies approved in Latin America

Speaking at the Pan Africa Chemistry Network (PACN) Sustainable Water Conference in Nairobi, Kenya, in August, Syngenta CEO Mike Mack emphasized the important role of technology and agronomic knowledge for the development of productive agriculture in Africa, and expressed the Companys commitment to supporting its advancement. The conference was hosted by the PACN, a partnership between the Royal Society of Chemistry and Syngenta.

In September, Syngenta and the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) announced a collaboration to support rice farmers in improving quality and yield in one of the worlds most important crops. Syngenta also entered into a public-private partnership with the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) in Mexico to focus on genetic markers for use in breeding resistance against stem rust in wheat.

In late 2009, Syngenta received full approval of its new genetically modied corn traits in Brazil and Argentina. The approval of these advanced technologies strengthens our comprehensive offer to growers in Latin America through increased productivity, higher grain quality and reduced production costs through combined insect resistance and herbicide tolerance.

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Syngenta Annual Review 2009

Chairmans letter The challenge of feeding the rising world population over the next 40 years on a nite area of arable land is a daunting one. Given continued technological progress, however, and most crucially acceptance of technology, it is perfectly achievable.

1.

Throughout 2009, the headlines were dominated by the continuing repercussions of the global nancial crisis. The crisis brought a heightened focus on the sustainability of business strategies in a world of greater uncertainty and volatility. In this challenging environment, Syngenta continued to perform well. Our nancial strength enabled us to invest in our business to generate future growth and create sustainable value over the long term. While the nancial crisis grabbed the headlines, the underlying challenge of ensuring food security for a growing world population remained central to the agenda of governments worldwide. The magnitude of this challenge was reinforced by the UNs Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) which announced in June that the combination of global economic slowdown and high food prices had pushed another 100 million people into a state of chronic hunger and poverty. The total number of people on the planet who are malnourished has now surpassed the one billion mark. At Syngenta, we remain committed to help address this challenge through working with our customers around the world from smallholders in developing countries to professional growers in large-scale agriculture to deliver a step change in farm productivity in a sustainable way. We have developed a deep understanding of plants and innovative technologies that help growers produce more food while conserving precious natural resources such as water and soil. Coupled with our global presence, this makes us uniquely positioned to develop innovative, integrated offers for tomorrows farmer. Syngentas contribution is increasingly recognized by society, but of course no single corporation, government or NGO can hope to tackle the food security challenge alone. Collaboration and partnership will accelerate progress, and we have been very active in 2009 in engaging around the world in the wider public debate on agriculture. We seek the opinions of key leaders in the public sphere to inform our work. Some of their thoughts on how to address these issues are set out on pages 8 and 9 of this review. We look forward to further dialogue, and to the development of new partnerships in the coming years.

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Syngenta Annual Review 2009

However, a potential barrier to progress exists the worrying trend away from science-based regulation in certain countries, particularly in Europe. Norman Borlaug, the Nobel-prize winning architect of the Green revolution who died in September, once stated that his pioneering seed technology would simply never have made it to the hands of the growers had it been subjected to the regulatory climate that exists in some countries today. The slide towards opinion-based regulation is a real threat to technological progress and denies growers, in developed and developing countries, access to the products they need to improve yields and thus their livelihoods. The indulgence of imaginary fears suppresses innovation and harms economic growth. Worse, it is a betrayal of the hungry. On my many visits to see growers around the world, I have been struck by the passion shown by Syngenta people. They are working to meet customer needs, capture signicant business opportunity and, at the same time, make a substantial contribution to the environment and the development of rural communities. This indivisibility between our nancial, environmental and societal goals is, once again, reected in this years Annual Review, which explains our 2009 performance from all three perspectives. Our efforts in this regard have again been recognized by the key global sustainability indices: DJSI and FTSE4Good; Syngenta continues to hold leading positions in both. Our high standing as a company relies entirely on the daily activities and actions of our employees around the world. In 2009, we made further progress in embedding the highest standards of behavior in our Company by engaging 19,700 employees in our revised Code of Conduct, which covers aspects from legal compliance and business ethics to our contribution to society and approach to developing our people. In so doing, we are ensuring that we adhere to the highest ethical standards and that we protect our economic, physical and

3.

1. Breakfast meeting discussion with Syngenta employees in Basel. 2. At a small kiosk in West Java with APAC CP Region Head, Andrew Guthrie, and Indonesia CP Head, Arshad Saeed Husain, discussing the Java Channel strategy. 3. With Didit Hidayat, Field Technical Manager of Java SBU, Mr. Syahid, an Indonesian farmer, and Midzon Johannes, Development Head Syngenta Indonesia, after attending the Syngenta Expo at Tugu Mukti Village in West Java Province.

reputational assets. In addition, a Senior Executive Committee was established to oversee all aspects of our compliance and risk management activities in a single approach under the governance of the Board. At the Ordinary General Meeting (OGM) in April, Jrg Witmer was elected Vice Chairman of Syngenta, replacing Rupert Gasser who left the Board upon reaching the statutory retirement age. The OGM also saw the election of new Directors, David Lawrence and Stefan Borgas, to the Board. I should like to thank them and all my Board colleagues for their valuable contributions to Syngenta during the year. The challenge of feeding the rising world population over the next 40 years on a nite area of arable land is a daunting one. Given continued technological progress, however, and most crucially acceptance of technology, it is perfectly achievable. The scale of the problem and the means of addressing it are increasingly well understood. The conviction that companies like Syngenta have a critical role in delivering the solution gives purpose to the work of everyone at the Company.

2.

Martin Taylor
Chairman

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Syngenta Annual Review 2009

Chief Executive Ofcers letter Throughout our business, the dedication and expertise of our people in addressing the global challenge of ensuring food security are making a substantial impact.

1.

We began 2009 in a climate of uncertainty and in the course of the year confronted a number of challenges including lower crop prices, planting delays and reduced pest pressure. Furthermore emerging markets, an important part of our business, were inevitably affected in the rst half of the year by the credit crisis and currency instability. In this context, I am proud that Syngenta has been able to report earnings close to the record level of 2008, and this in the face of currency and raw material headwinds. Our performance reects price discipline enabled by the quality of our portfolio and attention to costs. The careful management of risk in emerging markets limited sales but ensured that the quality of our balance sheet was maintained. Substantial free cash ow further attested to the ongoing strength of our business. Syngentas future is inextricably linked to the fundamental drivers of agriculture, which remain unchanged. Population growth and dietary change are concentrated in the emerging markets, where we are seeing a structural shift towards the modernization of agriculture. In Asia, investment in crop protection and seeds continued almost unabated in 2009, amidst growing awareness of the need to secure supply of staple foods, notably rice. The recent endorsement of genetically modied traits for food by the Chinese and Indian authorities is just one example of the readiness to adopt new technologies. In Latin America, the market rebounded after a difcult start to the year as the regions vast agricultural potential led to increased investment by both government and the private sector. Further technology progress is vital to meet the evolving needs of growers and to respond to agronomic and climate challenges. In 2009 we maintained our commitment to research and development (R&D) with a spend of almost $1 billion. The capacity expansion program in Crop Protection is now nearing completion and will allow us signicantly to increase sales of AMISTAR, the worlds leading fungicide, and ACTARA/ CRUISER, a broad spectrum insecticide and seed treatment. And we continue to make selective acquisitions in Seeds with a view to expanding our germplasm pool and technology platforms.

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Syngenta Annual Review 2009

2.

with the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), which will focus on advancing solutions for the rice industry to take account of changing agronomic conditions and population growth. The challenges that concern Syngenta on a daily basis food security, climate change and the effective use of natural resources are increasingly a focus for government attention and public debate. Coherence is now emerging with regard to the need to formulate a global response to these challenges. Shaping such a response for agriculture will of necessity be complex, taking into account the differing needs of some 2.5 billion people worldwide who are directly involved in farming for their livelihood. Syngentas role goes beyond our understanding of the challenges: it lies also in the multiplicity of the solutions we can offer. Our Company purpose is Bringing plant potential to life. We pursue it through broad-based investment in R&D which has created unique and global technology platforms. In the eld, we adapt the output of our research to meet the needs of a myriad of customers across the world. Throughout our business, the dedication and expertise of our people in addressing the global challenge of ensuring food security are making a substantial impact. I extend on behalf of the Syngenta Board and the Executive Committee my thanks to all Syngenta employees worldwide for their contribution to our business and to agriculture.

1. Speaking at the ICCs 6th World Chambers Congress on June 4, 2009, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. 2. Visiting the Kenya Cuttings site with Oded Kunik, Site Manager, and his team. The farm covers 45 hectares, has 27 greenhouses and some 900 permanent employees. 3. Touring a cassava eld with Parveen Kathuria, Head of Syngenta Seeds Thailand and his team. Cassava (tapioca) is one of Thailands most important commercial crops.

Acquisitions supplemented double-digit growth1 in Seeds, with a strong performance across product lines. A marked improvement in protability for the business as a whole reected in particular the roll-out of our proprietary corn traits in the USA. We are rmly on track to meet our target of a 15 percent EBITDA margin in 2011, and the R&D investments of recent years have resulted in a competitive and differentiated pipeline which will generate growth beyond that date. Our investments are already being leveraged through the introduction of traits in additional countries, with the registration of double stacked corn in Brazil and Argentina and of VIPTERA for broad-spectrum insect control in Brazil, and through a number of trait out-licensing agreements. In Crop Protection, we have led the industry in raising prices and remain committed to a pricing strategy that reects the value of our products in increasing yields. The scope for adding further value is expanding as we develop the potential of our portfolio for crop enhancement yield advantages that go beyond pest control. Meanwhile, the performance of our new products in the difcult market conditions of 2009 with sales up by more than 30 percent testies to the ongoing power of innovation. This is apparent in developed as well as emerging markets, with our new products making signicant gains in both North America and Western Europe. Looking ahead, we see signicant further potential with the launch in the USA of AVICTA, a new category for nematode control on corn. Syngenta is building on its global reach and broad business portfolio to develop an increasingly integrated approach to crop management. Our global technology platforms allow us to leverage our capabilities and thus maximize the impact of our outstanding science. We are expanding our in-house research into drought tolerance and nitrogen efciency in eld crops with the opening of a new research center in Beijing and the establishment there of new partnerships. Increasing recognition of the role we are playing in the long-term growth of agriculture is enabling us to enter into a broader range of technology partnerships globally. One example is our collaboration

Michael Mack

Chief Executive Ofcer

3.

1 Growth at constant exchange rates

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Syngenta Annual Review 2009

Global challenges

What is needed to ensure food security for 9 billion people by 2050?


Experts around the world are actively engaged in the debate about how to feed a growing and increasingly prosperous population. Balancing changing dietary demands with environmental, social and economic factors is critical. Closing the yield gap
The combined effect of population growth, continued income growth and urbanization is expected to result in almost the doubling of demand for food, feed and ber in 2050. Agricultural output has to signicantly increase to meet demand. There is currently a signicant yield gap in the industry, meaning many farms produce less food than they are capable of. Enhanced farming techniques and new technologies could be tapped to boost production by improving the efciency in farmers use of agricultural inputs, developing adapted crop varieties and investing in agricultural research and development. Most of the necessary gains in production will be met by increasing yield growth and cropping intensity on existing farmlands rather than by increasing the amount of land brought under agricultural production. Success requires farmers having access to information and nancial incentives, strong extension services and the possibility to acquire necessary skills. Agriculture must become more productive if it is to feed a much larger population while responding to the daunting environmental challenges ahead.

Policy change and investments in agriculture and nutrition


The food crisis in 2008, combined with growing energy demand and emerging climate-change issues, threatens the livelihoods of millions of poor people as well as the economic, ecological, and political situation in many developing countries. Decades of shrinking global investment in agricultural research have affected agricultural productivity, and the nancial crisis has constrained agricultural growth. Now, all three components of food security availability of food, access to food, and direct nutrition action need to be addressed simultaneously at scale. Addressing these challenges will require the world to develop a more productive and sustainable food and agricultural system.
Joachim von Braun Director General (20022009) International Food Policy Research Institute IFPRI, Washington DC, USA

Investment in agriculture and related, research-based innovations must be accelerated to achieve this and must be combined with food-policy reform, improved trade, and enhanced access to knowledge and inputs by farmers in developing countries. Substantial investment in agriculture and related innovation will accelerate sustainable increases in productivity and in the production of healthy food by and for the poor. It will help conserve and enhance biodiversity, and encourage sustainable use of natural resources. Programs aimed at providing access and sufcient availability of food to the poor must be complemented by nutrition programs focused on children.

Alexander Mller Assistant Director-General Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN FAO, Rome, Italy

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Syngenta Annual Review 2009

They call for increased investments and partnerships to nd long-term solutions, which are vital for a step-change in farm productivity and resource efciency, in order to meet the growing global demand in a responsible way. A green revolution for the 21st century
A Green Revolution for the 21st century with a capital G. Up to 25 percent of world food production may become lost during this century as a result of climate change, water scarcity, invasive pests and land degradation. This could continue to make food prices more volatile and expensive in a world of six billion rising to over nine billion by 2050, unless production and consumption become more sustainable. Increasing food energy efciency is essential to allow a signicant growth in food supply without compromising environmental sustainability. There is a strong link between the state of the natural environment and food production. Agriculture needs healthy ecosystems. The natural environment comprises the entire basis for food production through water, nutrients, soils, climate, weather and biodiversity. Increasing production simply by expanding croplands would result in accelerated loss of forests and other natural ecosystems, with subsequent costs to biodiversity and accelerated climate change. We need a new green revolution based on traditional knowledge; an ecosystem approach and modern, safe science and technology supporting farmers in developing sustainable agriculture if we are to balance the need for food with the need to maintain and enhance the environment and its multi-trillion dollar services.

Partnering for food security


We are faced with growing food insecurity across the world. 75 percent of the worlds poor are rural, and most are dependent on agriculture for their livelihoods. What is more, the most recent estimates from FAO are that for the rst time in human history over a billion people are chronically malnourished. The World Bank Group, working in partnership with the global community, continues to respond. In April 2009, we raised the ceiling of the Global Food Crisis Response Program from $1.2 billion to $2 billion. More recently, Implementing Agriculture for Development: World Bank Group Agriculture
Juergen Voegele Director, Agriculture and Rural Development, The World Bank Group Washington DC, USA

Action Plan FY20102012 outlines the new phase of our commitment to agriculture. It projects an increase in support from an average $4.1 billion annually for the scal years 20062008 to between $6.2 and $8.3 billion annually over the next three years. This would be between 13 and 17 percent of total projected commitments of the International Development Association and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development. It will require the dedication and innovation of all in the development community to spread the message of agricultures critical contribution to poverty reduction, economic growth, and environmental sustainability including agricultures critical role in combating climate change. Our collective action will continue to be central to long-term food security in poor countries.

Achim Steiner Executive Director United Nations Environment Programme UNEP, Nairobi, Kenya

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Syngenta Annual Review 2009

Our contribution

Increasing yields through technology


Global food security requires a sustainable agricultural production system one that is able to increase yields to meet the growing populations rising demand for food. Syngentas innovative crop solutions enable growers to increase productivity on existing farmland.

Agricultural production must double within the next 40 years. The worlds population is expected to rise by two billion to more than nine billion by 2050 and increased prosperity means calorie demand per capita continues to rise in developing countries. Diets will include more meat and dairy, diverting grain to animal feed. One billion people are already malnourished. We must grow more from less. Pressure on land and water resources is increasing as a result of climate change and soil erosion. Growers around the world need access to technology to improve productivity without further depleting limited natural resources. Farmers want high-yielding, vigorous and reliable crops that can withstand stress from heat and drought. Our wide range of seeds and crop protection products puts Syngenta in a unique position to offer growers integrated solutions to improve yields. Our high-quality products protect crops from insects, disease and competition from weeds, and help to enhance yields even without such pressures. We also work in partnership with other organizations to offer solutions that provide higher, more reliable yields to meet growing demand and improve farmers livelihoods.

High-yielding quality seeds


Syngenta scientists use advanced breeding techniques to develop stronger, more productive crops. Quench spring barley, for example, provides high yields with vigor to prevent buckling of the stems and provide resistance to common diseases, including mildew and barley scald. Our range of wheat varieties includes PostRock, which provides consistent yields under stress, and Jagalene, which offers drought tolerance, winter hardiness and resistance to diseases such as wheat streak and stripe rust. We also develop seeds that are genetically modied to introduce a particular trait that could not be achieved through conventional breeding. AGRISURE triple stack corn hybrids combine herbicide resistance with protection against the corn borer and corn rootworm for increased yields. Our new AGRISURE VIPTERA trait for broad spectrum control of lepitopteran corn pests will provide signicant yield increases when combined with other Syngenta proprietary traits. In 2009, Syngenta entered a partnership with the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) to research and develop new rice varieties and techniques for improving productivity. The aim is to facilitate technologydriven solutions to help rice farmers meet the combined challenges of climate change and global food security.

Improving plant vigor for enhanced yields


Syngenta technology goes beyond protecting plants to enhancing plant vigor and performance. The active ingredients in many of our crop protection products have been proven to increase yields and enable plants to withstand stress, even without pest pressure.

My contribution:

Jed Kempel Wisconsin and Illinois, USA


Jed Kempel is a sales rep in Wisconsin and Illinois, USA. Since joining Syngenta in 2007, he has worked hard to establish a good rapport with retailers and growers. Hes passionate about seeing them succeed. Jed sells crop protection products, but often works as part of a team with colleagues in the seeds business to show growers the full solution Syngenta offers. To me, thats what makes Syngenta stand out, says Jed. When retailers present me with a challenge from one of their growers, they know that I can call on our expert agronomists and seeds reps to nd the best all-round solution. That solution might not be my product it may even be a combination of Syngenta and other products but by offering options that
Find out more www.syngenta.com/ar2009 Jed Kempel, Sales Representative, (left) discussing soybean options with Pat Mullooly of the DeLong Company, Wisconsin, USA.

get the results farmers need, Im building their trust. And that helps to build Syngentas business in the long run. Some of the soybean growers Jed works with have seen yield increases of 1015 percent using products such as QUADRIS fungicide and FLEXSTAR herbicide. Results like this encourage them to keep using our products, says Jed. And the fact that Syngenta spends close to a billion dollars a year on research and development shows me and my customers that the Company is serious about long-term food security. Were all in this together; we all want to improve yields.

CRUISER seed treatment, designed to protect seedlings from insects, signicantly improves the vigor of young plants. Crops grow bigger, stronger and greener with a marked increase in produce. CRUISER promotes the development of better root systems and enables plants to withstand stress by inducing the production of proteins for healthy growth. Our fungicide AMISTAR controls disease and regulates plant processes that control loss of water vapor, resulting in more efcient water use. MODDUS prevents lodging in wheat by strengthening the stem and promotes growth of longer roots to enable better uptake of water and nutrients.

Broadening our offer to increase yields


With our wide range of seeds and chemical products, Syngenta is uniquely positioned to develop tailored solutions to improve productivity for farmers. Our research and business development teams work closely together to identify and understand grower needs for a wide range of crops in different regions. We also work with partners specializing in other technologies such as irrigation and agricultural equipment to provide growers with a holistic solution. PLENE, for example, is an innovative yield-increasing technology for sugar cane, due to be launched in 2011. PLENE sugar cane segments are treated with seed care applications to protect them in early growth stages. Planting is faster and easier than conventional methods. Our development team is working with leading agricutural equipment manufacturer John Deere to develop more fuel-efcient machinery to do this. Growers can harvest and replant crops more frequently, ensuring stable sugar content over time. We are also able to offer farmers effective solutions that integrate both our seeds and crop protection products, particularly where our chemical products have been found to further enhance crop yields with a certain seed variety. In Germany, for example, FUSILADE herbicide and KARATE insecticide provide growers with excellent protection for our NK Petrol variety of oil seed rape, introduced in 2008.

Protecting crops from insects, disease and competition from weeds


Syngentas extensive crop protection portfolio protects yields against damage from pests in a wide variety of crops and climates. Weeds compete with crops for water, nutrients and light, reducing access to vital resources. Selective herbicides like AXIAL and CALLISTO control weeds without affecting crops, whereas non-selective herbicides like TOUCHDOWN and GRAMOXONE are used to clear weeds prior to planting. Insecticides such as ACTARA and DURIVO protect crops from attack by insects. AMISTAR and other fungicides enable farmers to control disease. Our innovative seed care products, including AVICTA and CRUISER, protect vulnerable seeds and seedlings, helping to safeguard farmers investment in quality seeds.

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Syngenta Annual Review 2009

Our contribution

Improving crop quality


Growers around the world rely on Syngenta products to produce reliable, high-quality crops that maximize value, deliver benets to food processors and meet increasing consumer expectations.

Olivier Cottet (left) and Hugues Dedurand, Sunower Product Manager, examining sunowers in the greenhouse of Syngenta Toulouse Saint-Sauveur, France.

My contribution:

Olivier Cottet Toulouse, France


Olivier Cottet manages the global sunower breeding program and is responsible for ensuring our offer will meet growers needs. It can take ve to ten years to develop a new variety, so it is important for Olivier to work closely with his marketing and sales colleagues to understand what customers are looking for and to anticipate future needs. Our main priority is to improve quality and yields for growers, he says. But this is just one element of our breeding program. We also have to consider the wants and needs of the people who crush the sunower seeds to produce oil. And we have to think about the end consumers you and me who are increasingly interested in health and nutrition.
Find out more www.syngenta.com/ar2009

Syngentas high-yielding high oleic sunower meets all these requirements. We developed it over six years by introducing the high oleic trait into our best yielding sunower, Olivier explains. Growers like it because they get high, stable yields even in drought-prone areas. One grower in India told me that improved income from using our seeds meant he could afford to pay for his daughters marriage. High oleic sunower oil is now widely used in the frying industry, providing a more stable, healthier option that is low in saturated fats. You even see pictures of sunowers on some food packets now as consumers are beginning to associate their oil with healthier food Olivier adds.

13

Syngenta Annual Review 2009

Our teams in research and development work closely with growers, their customers and consumers to understand their preferences. Growers look for high, reliable yields and disease resistance; food manufacturers require consistent quality; and consumers want food to be tasty, healthy and safe at affordable prices. Developing seed varieties with the right characteristics takes years of research. Modern technologies such as marker-assisted breeding enable Syngenta scientists to identify genetic traits that relate to certain plant characteristics. Using DNA testing, plants with the desired traits can be identied at an early stage of growth, enabling much faster development of varieties with enhanced avor, color, nutrition and agronomic performance.

By combining the smooth taste of our proprietary malting barley, Braemar, with the use of quality-enhancing technology, we are providing an integrated solution for a leading Japanese brewer. The brewer now requires its contract growers to use Syngenta products exclusively to produce its premium beers. PERGADO, introduced in 2007, is now our biggest fungicide for wine growers in Europe. PERGADO effectively controls downy mildew, a disease that can signicantly affect wine quality and production by causing grapes to ripen unevenly or rot on the vine.

Catering for consumer tastes


Taste is critical to consumer choice in the fresh fruit and vegetable markets. Other factors include color, size, texture, convenience, price and storage ability. Our breeders use their knowledge about cultural and regional differences in taste to meet the needs of consumers in markets around the world. Brussels sprouts are a traditional festive dish in some markets, but their bitter avor makes them unpopular among children and many adults. The bitterness is related to high levels of glucosinolates, an essential part of the plants defense against leaf-eating insects and also linked with the prevention of cancer in humans. Syngenta research teams have developed a mild tasting variety to achieve optimal avor for consumers while maintaining health benets and improving crop productivity. With its distinctive dark color, Kumato is changing consumers perception of what a tomato can look like. Developed by Syngenta breeders from a variety of wild tomato, the extra-sweet Kumato is sold in a range of European countries and was introduced to the UK in 2009. It can be eaten at any stage of ripeness from green to brown due to higher fructose levels than traditional red tomatoes. A miniature variety was also introduced in 2009. Our watermelon, DULCINEA PUREHART, offers consumers sweet taste and vitamin-packed nutrition in a convenient small size without seeds. The DULCINEA RUBY BLISS watermelon was bred specically to increase levels of naturally occurring antioxidants which give the fruit a rich red color.

Healthy and affordable high-quality food


Our crop protection and seeds products make an essential contribution to helping farmers meet customer expectations. They enable farmers to produce reliable quality crops that have high nutritional value and are safe for consumption. With regulations in many countries now requiring nutrition content to be displayed on product labels, nutritional value is increasingly important to food producers, as well as consumers. Oil from Syngentas high oleic sunower varieties, such as NK Ferti and NK Simphoni, is used as a healthier alternative for industrial frying. High oleic oils are also more stable and have a longer shelife, due to their natural resistance to oxidation and degradation. Syngenta sunower seeds produce healthy cooking oils, low in saturated fat and free of trans fats which can raise cholesterol levels. Sunower oil is also rich in vitamin E.

Consistent quality for food processers


The quality of processed food depends on the quality of the ingredients used to make it. Syngenta enables farmers to maximize incomes by producing high-quality, reliable crops for food and beverage producers. Syngentas AGRIPRO seeds business is working in partnership with a large US our milling company to help farmers improve yields and achieve premium prices for their wheat crops. Our high-yielding Platte White Wheat variants are used to produce Ultragrain our, which blends the avor and texture of rened white our with the nutritious benets of whole grain our.

14

Syngenta Annual Review 2009

Our contribution

Using natural resources responsibly


Agriculture needs to become increasingly productive if it is to meet the demands of a growing population. Our products and technologies help growers make efcient and responsible use of limited natural resources.

Efcient use of land, water, soil and energy is essential for farmers to meet rising demand without depleting valuable natural resources. Growing demand for food, together with soil erosion, climate change and increasing stress on water sources, is putting existing farmland under pressure. But moving into uncultivated territory threatens biodiversity and adds to climate change through deforestation. Syngenta solutions enable farmers to achieve a sustainable balance between improved productivity and environmental protection. Our innovative seeds and crop protection products help farmers adapt to a changing climate, use water and nutrients more efciently and prevent run-off from elds, the main cause of soil erosion. We also promote the use of conservation agriculture techniques to preserve biodiversity.

Promoting efcient water use


Increasing demand for water is one of the most pressing global issues for agriculture. Tens of billions of dollars worth of crops are lost due to drought every year. Not only is water becoming more scarce, but climate change is also making rainfall less predictable. Farmers have to be able to grow crops using less water and produce reliable yields even in periods of drought. Syngenta is in a unique position to offer solutions for growers to use water more efciently by integrating our seeds and crop protection technology. We are developing new crop varieties that require less water and offer crop protection products that improve plants water uptake, producing higher yields from the same resources. Our breeders have developed a drought-resistant corn from native varieties. Preliminary trials suggest that yields can be increased and stabilized, with reduced losses in dry years and less water required in normal years. The rst traits for drought tolerance in corn are targeted for launch in 2011. Water efciency is part of the screening process carried out by our chemists and biologists when they develop new crop enhancement products. Plant growth regulator MODDUS, for example, reduces the amount of water needed to produce the same grain yields by around 10 percent and promotes longer plant roots to reach water and nutrients in less fertile, drought-prone areas. Invinsa1 will be the rst product developed for eld crops specically to protect yield during extended periods of high temperature and mild-to-moderate drought. Together with other thought-leading companies, Syngenta partnered with the World Bank and McKinsey & Company to form The 2030 Water
1 Invinsa, a trademark of AgroFresh Inc.

My contribution:

Abdul Hannan and Aklima Akhter Gazipur, Bangladesh


Aklima Akhter, Market Developer, knows rst hand how hard farmers in Bangladesh work to cultivate rice. She spends much of her time showing them how Syngenta products work and how to improve farming efciency. This year I helped rice farmers around Dhaka implement a new, water-saving technology called PaniPipe, which we distributed without charge, she explained. Syngenta developed the PaniPipe, also called alternate wetting and drying technology, in collaboration with the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI). Farmers were able to decrease irrigation costs, save groundwater, and conserve diesel fuel used to pump water. The PaniPipe, inserted into the ground
Find out more www.syngenta.com/ar2009 Aklima Akther (left) explaining the Pani Pipe system to Siraj and Hormuz Ali, farmers near Joydevpur in Bangladesh.

vertically, allows farmers to monitor water level below ground, decreasing the need to ood rice. This led to a 30 percent saving in water from the nearly 5,000 liters used traditionally to produce one kilogram of rough rice. The farmers could see the benets and quickly understood how it worked, says Abdul Hannan, Senior Marketing Ofcer, who taught Aklima and the rest of his team how the PaniPipe system works. Most exciting of all, the savings in water, combined with increased yield, allowed farmers to increase their return on investment by more than 30 percent in many cases taking them from a net loss to net gain.

Resources Group. In 2009, the group published Charting our Water Future, an in-depth report into how competing demands for scarce water resources can be met and sustained. The report shows that water scarcity can be mitigated affordably and sustainably through cost effective measures using existing technologies. Syngenta also partners with other companies to investigate ways to improve water efciency on farms. Modern irrigation systems can deliver water, fertilizers and crop protection products more efciently to crops. For example, we are exploring ways to extend the use of drip and subsurface irrigation, as well as highly efcient pivot systems.

Preserving biodiversity
Better yields on existing farm land, combined with sustainable agriculture techniques such as minimum tillage and the creation of diverse habitats on eld margins, are essential for the preservation of biodiversity in arable areas. In 2009, Syngenta stewardship and marketing teams expanded the reach of OPERATION POLLINATOR, a ve-year project to increase biodiversity by establishing 10,000 hectares of wildlife habitat on cropland margins. Building on the success of OPERATION BUMBLEBEE in the UK, the program has now been introduced in France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland and the USA. Participating farmers use a pollen and nectar-rich owering seed mix specially designed and adapted to local conditions by Syngenta to create habitats for bees, pollinating insects and birds on eld margins and other areas of land that cannot be easily farmed. The program demonstrates the mutual benets of productive agriculture and practical conservation. It forms the basis for independent research conducted in partnership with the conservation organization Earthwatch Institute. Syngenta continues to support and participate in international roundtables on sustainable agriculture, including those focused on palm oil, sugarcane and biofuels. The roundtables aim to improve knowledge and use of the science and technology behind the production of these crops for food and fuel, including conservation agriculture techniques.

Reducing soil erosion


Soil erosion makes millions of hectares of farmland infertile every year. We work with farmers to prevent run-off of soil and chemicals from elds by promoting the use of minimum tillage and setting up buffer zones of vegetation between elds and rivers. Syngentas non-selective herbicides, such as TOUCHDOWN and GRAMOXONE, enable farmers to control weeds without tilling the ground. By conserving soil structure, erosion is reduced, fewer nutrients are lost, the water-holding capacity of the ground is improved and less CO2 is released into the atmosphere. Minimum tillage also helps to preserve soil biodiversity, the foundation for healthy soils. In 2009, we built on our extensive research on soil and water conservation in Europe and the USA to begin a three-year trial of conservation agriculture in tea crops in Vietnam. In the studys rst year, conservation agriculture techniques used on sloping land demonstrated a 70 percent reduction in soil erosion and 14 percent yield increase.

16

Syngenta Annual Review 2009

Our contribution

Benets for rural communities


Rural communities play a critical role in feeding the worlds growing population. Yet many farmers, particularly in developing economies, live in poverty. Syngenta helps farmers around the world access the technology, training and know-how they need to increase yields sustainably and improve their livelihoods.

Humphrey Kiruaye (left) talking to David Mata, Assistant Farm Manager, at Daisa Horticultural Farm in Timau, Kenya.

My contribution:

Humphrey Kiruaye Nairobi, Kenya


Area sales manager Humphrey Kiruaye offers farmers in Kenya improved seeds combined with crop protection and training on best farming practice and safe use of products. I introduce them to new technologies they have never had access to before and provide them with the skills they need to improve their productivity and their livelihood, he says. Most of his customers are small scale farmers with just an acre of land. He helps them to produce surplus crops to sell, enabling them to buy supplies for their families and invest in better seeds or other inputs for next season to become a sustainable farming business. Kenyan farmers have been going through tough times with droughts in recent years, says
Find out more www.syngenta.com/ar2009

Humphrey. His team works with irrigation partners to help farmers construct irrigation water ponds to store water and, through the Syngenta Foundation, growers can insure the products they buy for their crops in case of drought or ooding. In one case, Humphrey, a trained agronomist, advised a grower in central Kenya to build an irrigation water storage pond and use conservation agriculture to reduce the water needed for crops. It has now become a teaching center for the local community. The farm has diversied to include a chemical store and disposal unit, beehives to improve pollination and sh in the pond.

17

Syngenta Annual Review 2009

Over the next 40 years, most of the growth in world population will occur in developing countries. At the same time, the trend towards urbanization will continue, posing a risk to the future of rural communities. It is essential to improve the livelihood of growers in order to ensure that these communities survive and ourish, and are capable of meeting increased food demand. Access to technology and better farm practices improves yields and thereby raises farm incomes. The link between poverty and agricultural productivity is clear: in South East Asia yields have increased by 60 percent over the last 20 years, with a corresponding decline in poverty by one third. We help growers improve productivity and incomes through access to technology, training and markets. We also contribute to creating a healthy environment by ensuring farmers understand how to use our products safely through our stewardship programs (see page 33). Our strategy is complemented by the Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture which focuses primarily on subsistence and small-scale commercial farming. Many of our programs are also run in partnership with local governmental and non-governmental organizations to reach communities and promote long-term benets. We adapt our approach to meet the diverse needs of rural communities in different regions around the world.

Local Syngenta teams work closely with farmers to demonstrate the benets of our technology and show them how to use our products appropriately. In China, we run demonstrations where farmers can meet experts and see for themselves the benets of applying modern technology and sustainable farming practices. For example, adding sweet pepper to their existing crop rotation of watermelon and corn has enabled some farmers to double their income. We have grown our leading crop protection business in Bangladesh by using an extensive outreach program. Syngenta representatives and agronomists visit farmers and demonstrate the effectiveness of our products in solving their specic local challenges. During these visits, our representatives recognized the inuence that women have on purchasing decisions for family farms in Bangladesh, but it was often difcult for salesmen to approach them without breaking social conventions. The team has now taken on more than 40 women to visit families and explain the benets of our products, as well as to provide training and support for farmers.

Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture


The purpose of the Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture (SFSA) is to help smallholder farmers become more professional growers by extending science-based know-how, facilitating access to quality inputs and linking them to markets in protable ways. The Syngenta Foundation supports partners who work in agriculture in resourcepoor settings in developing countries and emerging markets to increase agricultural productivity and improve livelihoods and income.
For more information on SFSA visit: www.syngentafoundation.org

Helping farmers adapt to climate change


Farmers in arid areas, especially in Africa and India, are already feeling the effects of climate change, with increasingly volatile rainfall and previously fertile land becoming too dry to sustain crops. Innovative technologies developed by Syngenta can help them to use precious water resources more efciently and to produce higher yields from the same resources. Smallholder farmers, particularly in drought-prone areas, are often reluctant to invest in quality seeds and inputs such as fertilizer and crop protection products, because they would be unable to repay debt if the crop fails. In 2009, the Syngenta Foundation trialed a service among 200 maize farmers in Kenya to insure their investment in inputs against the effects of drought.

Farmers from subsistence to entrepreneurs


Increasing the productivity of smallholders land helps them to produce a surplus which they can sell on local markets and invest in cash crops to earn additional income for their families. Syngentas FRJOLNICA program is helping Nicaraguan bean growers transform their farming into a sustainable business by enabling smallholders to obtain micro-nance through a local nance partner. They can buy seeds, herbicides and fertilizers and repay the loan when the bean harvest is sold. Access to these technologies combined with training and technical assistance from professional agronomists has fundamentally transformed the way they farm. Many have experienced yield increases of up to 100 percent.

Tackling health threats from malaria


Farmers in many African regions face a continual threat to their health from malaria-carrying insects. Widespread ill health affects farm productivity because people are unable to work. As a result, smallholder farmers often choose to plant staple crops for subsistence rather than more labor-intensive cash crops. Syngenta plays an important role in preventing malaria through a broad portfolio of products to control mosquitoes, including the ICON insecticide range that protects homes with treated mosquito nets and kits to spray indoor surfaces. More than three million households were treated with Syngenta products in 2009. This is complemented by training to identify the source of mosquitoes and understand how to use our products safely and effectively.

Tailored business models for smallholders


Our training program to help boost yields and improve the livelihoods of smallholder farmers in the arid area of Laikipia, Kenya, has highlighted the need to make crop protection products more accessible. For this reason, Syngenta has introduced a range of products sold in small packs at an affordable price, branded Uwezo (meaning ability in Swahili).

18

Syngenta Annual Review 2009

Crop Protection

Enhancing plant performance


Through its broad portfolio, global presence and successful innovation, our Crop Protection business reafrmed its leading position in a challenging market environment and supported growers around the world in their drive towards higher productivity.

19

Syngenta Annual Review 2009

Crop Protection sales 2009

$8.5bn
2%1
10.0 9.0 8.0 7.0 6.0 5.0 4.0 3.0 2.0 1.0 0

In 2009, our Crop Protection sales of $8.5 billion were close to the exceptional level of 2008 at constant exchange rates, despite lower crop prices and liquidity constraints in some emerging markets. The weak economic environment also had a signicant impact on the Professional Products business. Sales were further affected by a late start to the northern hemisphere season and reduced pest pressure. The outstanding value that our products offer to growers, even at lower crop prices, allowed us to raise prices, largely offsetting a decline in volume. We were also able to offset the impact of higher raw material costs in the rst half of the year and to deliver an EBITDA margin of 26.4 percent. We estimate that in 2009 Syngenta gained market share on a global basis for the fth consecutive year. The gains reect the breadth of our portfolio and the success of marketing strategies tailored to the differing needs of growers across the world.

The transition to modern crop protection technology increases yield for countries striving to achieve selfsufciency and improves crop quality for those seeking to access export markets. Syngentas products are well positioned to replace older chemistries: we have state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities in India and China, and our cost structure and adapted product formats allow us to meet the needs of small-scale growers. The export potential of emerging markets continues to be demonstrated in Brazil and Argentina, where soybean acreage rebounded in the second half of the year following a production shortfall in the rst half due to drought. The competitiveness of Latin American growers has been enhanced by their adoption of new solutions for disease control and seed care. In corn, Syngenta has created a new market for fungicides, building on its leading position in the treatment of soybean rust with PRIORI XTRA. Over the last three years corn fungicides have been adopted on almost half of Brazilian corn acres, and Syngenta has achieved a market share close to 50 percent. In seed treatment, CRUISER is recognized not only for its broad spectrum insect control but also for its patented vigor effect, which results in healthy germination, stronger plants and higher yield.

07 08 09

Emerging markets: positioned for growth


New product sales 2009 2

$308m
+32%1
Crop Protection sales by region1,3

We continue to see enormous scope for increased use of our products in emerging markets. In 2009, we had to balance this opportunity with the need for nancial prudence in those regions where nancial upheaval and liquidity shortage dramatically increased the level of risk. Our longstanding experience in these markets enabled us rapidly to implement effective and innovative risk management tools with, for example, the execution of our rst barter transactions in Eastern Europe. An easing of the credit situation in the second half of the year paved the way for renewed expansion of our business. In the emerging markets of Asia, where growers were largely untouched by the credit crisis, sales continued to show strong growth, with particular emphasis on rice. Although rice plays a crucial role in local food production, the pace of technology adoption has historically been slow. With growers now seeking to achieve sustainable improvements in yield, Syngentas products are playing an increasingly important role. Following its successful introduction in Indonesia in 2008, VIRTAKO insecticide from the DURIVO range, had a highly successful launch in China, with rst year sales there of $15 million. Rice growers are also increasingly adopting seed treatment with CRUISER a solution of choice, delivering a yield benet of around 10 percent. Overall Crop Protection sales on rice in Asia Pacic rose by 19 percent to over $350 million, and are expected to reach $750 million by 2014.

Evolving grower needs


Alongside Brazil and Argentina, the United States is the worlds major producer of soybean. For the past ten years or more, US growers have been reliant on glyphosate for weed control, used in conjunction with herbicide-tolerant technology. But an increasing number of weeds are now resistant to glyphosate. Syngenta is uniquely placed to tackle this emerging problem with six soybean selective herbicides in our portfolio. US sales of these products increased by over 60 percent in 2009, helped by the launch of FLEXSTAR GT, a combination product with glyphosate offering growers the convenience of broad spectrum weed control. In US corn, we provide activity against glyphosatetolerant weeds with HALEX, which showed continued growth in a glyphosate market subject to heavy price pressure from mid year. Syngenta markets glyphosate as one component of a broad portfolio but does not manufacture the product, a model which has limited the sensitivity of our earnings to the price declines in 2009.

EAME NAFTA LATAM APAC

09 08 +/% 2,667 3,214 5 2,567 2,693 1,907 2,037 1,350 6

1,287 +11

EBITDA margin 2009 4

26.4%
26.6%

2008

1 Growth at constant exchange rates (CER) 2 Crop Protection products launched since 2006 3 Including inter-segment sales 4 For a denition of EBITDA, see page 44

20

Syngenta Annual Review 2009

Crop Protection
Selective Herbicides
Major brands: AXIAL, CALLISTO family, DUAL/ BICEP MAGNUM, FUSILADEMAX and TOPIK Sales were unchanged with broad-based price increases offsetting lower volume. AXIAL and TOPIK both performed strongly on cereals in North America. In the USA, increased soybean acreage and weed resistance resulted in a resurgence of demand for soybean herbicides. Corn herbicide sales were lower reecting reduced acreage and risk management in emerging markets, as well as the impact of late planting in the USA.

Non-selective Herbicides
Major brands: GRAMOXONE and TOUCHDOWN Sales were lower owing to price reductions for TOUCHDOWN in the second half of the year, which were accompanied by a recovery in volume growth. GRAMOXONE sales were also lower with declines in Australia, due to drought, and in emerging markets.
Heike Khler (left), Head of Sales East Germany, discussing solutions tailored to customer needs with Thomas Seeger, Head of the Agrar-Gesellschaft Brde Rottmersleben. Since joining Syngenta in 2004, Heike has seen rsthand the positive impact that combining the best seeds with the right crop protection products has on achieving the highest crop yields. Find out more www.syngenta.com/ar2009

New product success


New products dened as those launched since 2006 play an important role in the expansion of our market share. The cereal herbicide AXIAL again showed strong growth, with sales volume in its largest market Canada up by almost 50 percent. The fungicide REVUS continued its roll-out on vegetables and vines, with sales nearly doubling. In addition to its success on rice in Asia, the DURIVO range has been launched in a number of markets on vegetables and in Argentina on soybean; it has also received a full registration in the USA under the brand VOLIAM XPRESS. AVICTA Complete Corn, the only product on the market to offer growers effective protection against nematodes, early season insects and disease, demonstrated its efcacy in over 1,000 large plot trials. A full commercial launch will take place in the USA in 2010, and we have also submitted for registration on corn and soybean in Brazil.

Fungicides
Major brands: ALTO, AMISTAR, BRAVO, REVUS, RIDOMIL GOLD, SCORE, TILT and UNIX Fungicides saw strong demand on rice in Asia Pacic and, in the second half, on soybean in Latin America. REVUS was launched in a number of new markets and sales almost doubled. Northern hemisphere sales overall were lower due to a shorter season and reduced disease pressure. Fungicide pricing was signicantly higher and offset the decline in volume.

21

Syngenta Annual Review 2009

Insecticides
Major brands: ACTARA, DURIVO, FORCE, KARATE, PROCLAIM and VERTIMEC Sales were slightly lower with a lack of soybean pest pressure in the USA and Latin America. Sales in Asia Pacic grew strongly throughout the year with a successful roll-out of DURIVO, offering growers new crop enhancement benets.

Crop Protection product line sales $m


Selective Herbicides
09 08 07 2,019 1,141 1,329 902 2,442 2,620 2,004 1,312 1,423 1,205 821 830 604 458 527 475 2,221 2,412

Non-selective Herbicides

09 08 07

Seed Care
Major brands: AVICTA, CRUISER, DIVIDEND and MAXIM Seed care sales increased broadly. The main driver was CRUISER, where growth was volume driven with a modest increase in price, and beneted in particular from a registration in France and a new soybean application in Canada.

Fungicides

09 08 07

Insecticides

09 08 07

Seed Care

09 08 07

Professional Products
Major brands: FAFARD, HERITAGE and ICON Professional Products were affected by the economic downturn, which reduced demand in the golf and horticulture segments and led customers to purchase more cautiously.
Professional Products

09 08 07

Crop Protection pipeline


Target launch 20102012 Invinsa
1

Research optimization

Early development

Late development Stress tolerance Cereal fungicide Seed Care fungicide Corn and sugarcane herbicide Insecticide

Peak sales

Isopyrazam Sedaxane Bicyclopyrone Cyantraniliprole Post 2012 Hambra Fungicide Herbicide Insecticide New crop enhancer
1 Invinsa, a trademark of AgroFresh Inc.

>$1.5bn

Fungicide >$500m

22

Syngenta Annual Review 2009

Seeds

Building on global technology platforms


Our Seeds business recorded higher sales and improved protability driven by the transformation of our corn offer in the USA, growth in emerging markets and the ongoing expansion of Vegetables and Diverse Field Crops.

23

Syngenta Annual Review 2009

Seeds sales 2009

$2.6bn
+13%1
3.0 2.5 2.0 1.5 1.0 0.5 0

2009 was a year of robust growth supplemented by acquisitions. Sales increased by 13 percent at constant exchange rates to $2.6 billion. Growth was driven by higher prices, reecting the value that Seeds technology represents for growers. In particular, the transformation of our corn portfolio in the United States contributed to an improvement in the Seeds EBITDA margin to 9.5 percent compared with 5.5 percent in 2008. The business is on track to achieve the targeted margin of 15 percent in 2011. Our performance also reects continuing growth in our high margin Vegetables and Diverse Field Crop businesses and the optimization of our cost base. In the emerging markets, the move towards higher value seeds was most pronounced in Asia Pacic, which saw substantial gains in volume and price. After a difcult rst half due to drought and credit constraint, Latin American sales recovered sharply in the second half. In Eastern Europe, risk management limited sales early in the year but conditions subsequently improved, with further expansion of Syngentas leading sunower business.

These developments demonstrate the transferability of our technology and the increasing return from the investments we have made over the last ve years. These returns are being further enhanced through cross-licensing. As an example, in April, Syngenta signed an agreement with Dow AgroSciences to cross license the two companies respective corn traits for commercialization within their branded seed businesses. Syngenta received licenses with stacking rights to Dow AgroSciences Herculex1 I and Herculex RW insect traits, while DowAgroSciences received licenses to Syngentas AGRISURE traits. The combination of Herculex and Agrisure represents a major advance in insect control, and will enable us from 2011 to offer our US customers multiple modes of action targeting refuge reduction and improved efcacy. Multi-stack options, including refuge reduction, are a component of our corn strategy but our priority is to cater for the differing agronomic needs of the market. These include abiotic stresses such as dry conditions, and we plan to introduce a native trait for drought tolerance in 2011. The potential of our technology platforms also reaches beyond corn. In Brazil, our VMAX soybean combines the advantages of glyphosate-tolerant technology with germplasm that matures at a faster rate, allowing growers sufcient time to plant two crops in one season. Since entering the soybean market in 2007, we have achieved a share of 10 percent.

07 08 09

Seeds sales by region1

Strengthened trait offer


Although growers faced a more uncertain economic environment in 2009, the structural shift towards genetic modication (GM) technology continued. In the USA, our proprietary triple stack corn seeds expanded to represent around 25 percent of units sold, and we look forward to further growth in 2010, with an increasing proportion present in elite germplasm. Our ability to enrich our offer with proprietary seed treatment is giving us a unique competitive advantage as we continue the transformation of our portfolio. Early in the year the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) granted registration approval for insecticidal trait stacks including Syngentas novel AGRISURE VIPTERA trait, which is awaiting USDA approval. AGRISURE VIPTERA controls a broad spectrum of lepidoteran corn pests and, when stacked with Syngentas other proprietary traits, can provide a yield advantage ranging from 11 to 18 bushels per acre, depending on the level of insect pressure. In November, AGRISURE VIPTERA received approval from the Brazilian authorities, reecting its effectiveness against a number of insects, notably fall armyworm. At the same time we received approval for GA21xBt11 double stacked corn, enabling us to be at the forefront of the launch of stacked technology in Brazil. The GA21xBt11 stack has also been approved in Argentina, the worlds second largest exporter of corn.

Reinforcing Diverse Field Crops


In sunower, advanced breeding techniques and hybridization are bringing yield advances in a market driven by consumer demand for healthy oils. Syngenta enhanced its world leading position in 2009 with the acquisition of Monsantos sunower business. The acquisition further complements our already extensive genetic pool and will allow us further to leverage our leading R&D. It also broadens our maturity prole and geographic reach, building on the emerging market investments of recent years.

EAME NAFTA LATAM APAC

09 933 1,187 243 201

08 +/% 1,077 +3 979 +22 216 +12 170 +28

EBITDA margin 2009 2

9.5%
5.5%

2008

1 Growth at constant exchange rates (CER) 2 For a denition of EBITDA, see page 44

1 Herculex is a registered trademark of Dow AgroSciences LLC

24

Syngenta Annual Review 2009

Seeds
A uniquely broad portfolio
Our presence across a broad range of crops is amplied by our unique ability to leverage common technology platforms. The diversity of our portfolio enables us to maximize our broad geographic presence, which we continue to expand through our ongoing commitment to emerging markets. As our business grows, we are enhancing protability and expanding the role that seeds play in improving agricultural productivity.

Corn and Soybean


Major brands: AGRISURE, GARST, GOLDEN HARVEST and NK Growth across all regions was led by signicant increases in NAFTA and Asia Pacic. Underlying growth was augmented in the fourth quarter by a change in sales terms in the USA, implemented in alignment with industry practice. Sales of our proprietary triple stack corn AGRISURE 3000 GT in the USA showed a signicant advance. Soybean sales were also higher with premium pricing for our high-quality germplasm. Soybean also showed strong growth in Brazil due to the popularity of our VMAX offer. In Asia Pacic, our leading tropical corn germplasm enabled us to outperform in a growing market.

Ademir Capelaro (left), Head of R&D Brazil, and Lilian Saldanha, Head of Regulatory Affairs Seeds, examining insect-resistant Bt11 corn plants in a greenhouse in Uberlndia, Brazil. Ademir and his team develop new corn varieties that help farmers increase yields and reduce costs. To ensure that such varieties reach farms, Lilian works with governments and growers to inform them about the benets and safety of modern biotechnology in seeds. Find out more www.syngenta.com/ar2009

Expanding demand for vegetables


Just as consumer demand is driving our sunower business, Vegetable seeds are also beneting from the global demand for healthy nutrition. And in emerging markets where vegetable-based diets are common, the desire for better quality and more variety is driving double-digit growth in our sales. In 2009, we established a signicant position in the US lettuce market through the acquisition of Synergene Seed & Technology, Inc. and Pybas Vegetable Seed Co, Inc. These acquisitions will also allow us to broaden our lettuce development portfolio in Europe and Asia; they bring a broad range of proprietary germplasm combined with strong breeding and production capabilities.

Diverse Field Crops


Major brands: NK oilseeds and HILLESHG sugar beet Sales increased in all regions, with Europe and NAFTA accounting for most of the business. Sales showed solid growth in Western Europe; in Eastern Europe higher prices more than offset the impact of risk management measures on volume. In the USA, sales of glyphosatetolerant sugar beet continued to expand.

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Syngenta Annual Review 2009

Vegetables
Major brands: DULCINEA, ROGERS, S&G and Zeraim Gedera Growth reected the ongoing expansion of high value products in our strategic crops. Sales growth was especially strong in Latin America and in the emerging markets of Asia.

Seeds product line sales $m


Corn and Soybean
09 08 07 893 429 462 351 594 603 502 331 337 272 1,040 1,210

Diverse Field Crops

09 08 07

Flowers
Major brands: Fischer, Goldsch, Goldsmith Seeds, S&G and Yoder Growth reected the consolidation of Goldsmith Seeds, Inc. and Yoder; underlying sales were affected by the economic environment.
Vegetables

09 08 07

Flowers

09 08 07

Corn pipeline
Early development Input traits AGRISURE VIPTERA Dual: above ground Dual/dual 2nd generation CRW Seed Care AVICTA COMPLETE CORN Output traits ENOGEN Abiotic stress Drought tolerance1 Nitrogen use efciency
1 Native traits followed by GM

Late development

Initial launches 2010 2011 2012 2014 2010 2010 20111 Post 2015

Peak sales

> $2bn

26

Syngenta Annual Review 2009

Lawn and Garden

Integrating offers for new markets


By combining our Crop Protection and Seeds technologies in the Lawn and Garden business, we address the specic needs of growers, retailers and consumers.

27

Syngenta Annual Review 2009

The Lawn and Garden business combines Flowers and Professional Products, which are reported under Seeds and Crop Protection respectively. Pro-forma sales in 2009 were $789 million. These businesses address a different market from the agricultural customer base served by other Syngenta activities. Sales are largely through specialized distributors or directly to professional users such as ornamental growers and golf course managers. Lawn and Garden also supplies consumer plant protection products through partners who market them in home improvement stores, garden centers and grocery retail channels. Syngenta is in a unique position to drive innovation and the development of new product offerings, rstly by virtue of our broad Crop Protection portfolio, which we can employ in non-crop applications, and secondly by leveraging our deep understanding of plant genetics and technology with our global leadership in owers. We are developing an integrated offer which will meet and anticipate all our customers needs and will bring new standards of performance and quality to the Lawn and Garden market.

Solutions for golf and landscape


The golf and turf business comprises products for golf courses, sports pitches and recreational amenities. The landscape and pest management business covers landscape maintenance, aquatics, forestry and professional pest control. The golf market in 2009 was affected by lower spending by course managers as a result of the economic downturn, notably in North America. Nevertheless, we continue to be well positioned in the key golf markets of the USA, Canada, Japan, Australia and the UK. Our focus is on developing sustainable solutions, which can improve the quality and productivity of golf courses. New product launches in 2009 included HERITAGE G, based on our world-leading crop protection fungicide azoxystrobin, and RESCUE, a novel solution for controlling invasive grasses. In the landscape and pest management business, we are working on a number of new tree care technologies. These include microinfusion technology to control insects such as the horse chestnut leaf miner in central Europe and the emerald ash borer in the USA, as well as solutions for the plantation forestry market in Latin America.

Leading in owers
Our integrated offer is now available to over half of the large ornamental growers in NAFTA, representing more than 50 percent of the market. In 2009 we increased our market share with these major customers in a difcult market. Ornamental growers and retailers require healthy plants which satisfy consumer preference and command good levels of protability. The growers must deliver millions of top quality, retail-ready plants to coincide with times of peak consumer demand, and therefore need suppliers who can offer both top class genetics and plant protection solutions with logistical efciency. Our world-leading position in owers has been enhanced by a series of acquisitions. In 2009 we successfully integrated Goldsmith Seeds and the Yoder Chrysanthemum and Aster product lines acquired in the previous year. Syngenta offers the widest range of pot and bedding plants in the industry in the form of seeds, cuttings and young plants. We are the number one genetics supplier in four of the six best-selling crops worldwide geraniums, pansies, impatiens walleriana and chrysanthemums which together account for some 60 percent of the owers genetics market. In 2009, we demonstrated the strength of our portfolio with three top industry awards based on both the appearance of our varieties and the science behind them. We launched the CALLIOPE Dark Red geranium in Europe and created a new market segment for pelargonium hybrids supported by the big box retailers in the USA. Our new poinsettia series MIRA our coldest star can grow at lower temperatures and will allow growers to save on energy costs.

Nico de Haan (right), Senior Product Technical Manager for Syngenta in the Netherlands, offering technical assistance to grower Peter van der Plas. Nico supports growers by providing in-depth knowledge of Syngenta products so they can produce the best quality crops at the lowest cost. Find out more www.syngenta.com/ar2009

Increasing our consumer offer


Building on the success of the 150-year-old MAAG brand, we have signicantly expanded our consumer offer of branded products, targeting non-professional gardeners, through a series of partnerships with Compo in continental Europe, Westland in the UK and Ireland, Central Garden & Pet in the USA and Fumakilla in Japan. RESOLVA 24H is the fastest growing weed killer brand in the UK. In 2010, we plan to extend into the market for lawn selective herbicides with the RESOLVA LAWN range. We are also planning the launch of PLANT RESCUE brands, a range of insecticides and fungicides. In the USA, the Maxide1 range containing Syngenta insecticide and fungicide granules for lawn care has already been listed in major retail outlets.
1 Maxide is a registered trademark of Central Garden & Pet

28

Syngenta Annual Review 2009

Research and Development

Leveraging our deep understanding of plants


Growers around the world face multiple challenges which threaten to reduce yields and lower crop quality. Syngenta is in a unique position to provide them with complete solutions. We do this by leveraging the breadth of our scientic expertise and optimizing the interaction of biology and chemistry in plant physiology.

R&D investment 2009

$960m
$969m
Global R&D sites
Greensboro, NC, USA Formulation Environmental Science

2008

Research and development investment in 2009 amounted to nearly $1 billion, reinforcing our industryleading position. We employ approximately 5,000 people at R&D centers and eld stations around the world. Our scientists are dedicated to meeting growers needs by raising crop yields and improving quality in a sustainable way. Syngenta is constantly striving to accelerate innovation to meet our customers needs by focusing on four key drivers: strengthening the organization, integrating the breadth of our expertise, developing our talent and working in partnerships.

Emerging growth markets open up a wealth of knowledge and potential. We are ensuring that we capture scientic expertise and insights in these markets through expansion of the R&D organization in China and India. In China, our biotechnology center in Beijing focuses on early-stage evaluation of genetically modied traits. Investment in a permanent site is underway, with plans to more than double local employment to 200 by 2011. We have also established a Scientic Know-how Exchange Program in partnership with the International Rice Research Institute to help build scientic capabilities in rice. The site in Goa, India, which focuses on developing new chemistry leads for development at our sites in Jealotts Hill and Stein, will expand facilities to enable focus on the interaction between research chemistry and process chemistry. This will help to further compress cycle times, thereby accelerating product development and maximizing the commercial value of new products.

Research Triangle Park, NC, USA  Biotechnology, R&D Jealotts Hill, UK Chemical Discovery Weed Control Formulation Bioscience Environmental Science Stein, Switzerland Fungicides Insecticides Professional Products Seed Care Goa, India Chemistry Beijing, China Biotechnology Enkhuizen, Netherlands Vegetables Flowers Toulouse, France Vegetables Sugar beet

Strengthening the organization


Our Seeds R&D leadership team is ensuring that we leverage our knowledge, capabilities and resources more powerfully across a range of crops. This allows us to build stronger global platforms utilizing cross-crop knowledge which benets the whole of R&D. This team facilitates a closer working relationship with Crop Protection R&D to ensure growers challenges can be addressed on multiple levels through the combination of seeds, traits and chemistry. In Europe, investment continued in our major Crop Protection research centers at Jealotts Hill, UK, and Stein, Switzerland. We have established Jealotts Hill as the center of our formulation expertise with the completion of a ve-year project utilizing robotics. Our new formulation robot can receive instructions from any Syngenta laboratory worldwide and by running millions of samples 24 hours a day, seven days a week, it is accelerating formulation chemistry. Stein is the site of our Seed Care Institute as well as chemistry and biology Crop Protection research facilities. The site expansion was completed in 2008 and is already starting to yield results.

Integrating our expertise


Through our deep understanding of plants and our breadth of knowledge, we can optimize the relationship between biology and chemistry in plant physiology. One example is thiomethoxam, an insecticide that increases plant vigor, leaf greening and root mass for a healthier plant with increased yield even in the absence of insect pressure. Used as a seed care treatment, it protects the seed and young seedling at their most vulnerable stages. Our knowledge of biology and chemistry is also driving the development of integrated approaches to crop management. In soybean we have several examples: introduced in 2009 in Canada and the USA, the APHID MANAGEMENT SYSTEM is an industry rst which

Xingping Zhang (right) Head of Global R&D Watermelon, examining mother plants for pepper anther culture with Laurie Howard, Cell Biologist, working in Gilroy Dihaploid Lab in Gilroy Research. Communication with growers and consumers to understand their needs and develop tailored solutions is a vital part of Xingpings role. Xingping also helps to drive Syngentas technology strategy and promote innovative research techniques to reduce the time necessary to develop a product from concept to market. Find out more www.syngenta.com/ar2009

brings together seeds, traits and chemistry. Aphids can reduce yields by more than half, and Syngentas system can control up to 90 percent of these pests throughout the growing season. The management of soybean rust combines a native trait for rust resistance with broad-spectrum fungicides to protect the crop throughout its life cycle, ensuring good crop quality and yield. In 2009, Syngenta also entered into a collaboration with Evogene Ltd. to identify plant genes related to soybean nematode resistance. This collaboration complements our in-house trait discovery program to strengthen further our offering to soybean growers. Syngenta is also improving its integrated offer to sugarcane growers. In 2009, we licensed gene-stacking technology from Chromatin Inc. In 2011, we expect to launch PLENE which has the potential to revolutionize sugarcane planting. PLENE provides the opportunity to grow sugarcane from smaller cane segments using proprietary treatments, potentially reducing production costs by 25 percent.

Our focus on people is also recognized externally. Syngenta Biotechnology Inc. in North Carolina, USA, marked its 25th anniversary and was voted one of the top 20 biotech employers out of 575 companies in a survey by Science magazine and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Working in partnerships
Syngenta is continually striving to improve processes and procedures be it through best practice, or through cutting-edge technology. One way to achieve these goals is through partnerships. We have several strategic partnerships in China, including the Hubei Biopesticide engineering research center to learn more about the potential of natural products, and the eminent Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry for crop protection innovations. Syngenta is always investigating new technology platforms. In 2009, Syngenta Ventures invested in Metabolon, a US biotech company, to gain access to their metabolomics technology. This approach provides insight into the biochemical processes happening within a cell to accelerate the development of new native and genetically modied traits. This was the rst direct investment by our newly established corporate venture capital subsidiary. We are also exploring how we can improve agronomic practices. This work includes collaborations in the UK with Manchester University on the use of sensors in agriculture, as well as building predictive models for biological systems with Londons Imperial College.

Developing talent
A culture supportive of innovation, collaboration and open exchange is essential in R&D. We have further supported this culture in 2009 by introducing the use of a webbased, open innovation platform. Using both internal and external audiences, we have successfully solved specic R&D challenges which have led to increased efciencies and exciting new product opportunities. We also piloted a training program specically for R&D employees to gain insight into customers perspectives and deepen their knowledge of market-driven product concepts. These pilots were very successful, and we will now extend this program to the global R&D community.

30

Syngenta Annual Review 2009

People

Our work matters


At Syngenta we know that the individual contributions of our people help the world address the global challenge of ensuring food security. More than 25,000 employees in over 90 countries can say with pride: Our work matters.

Jutta Suchanek (right), Head of HR for Business Development Seeds and L&G, and Corinne Lo Verdi, Head of HR Communication Switzerland, working on the Our work matters campaign. The campaign was launched in 2008 to further strengthen every employees role in ensuring food security and bringing benets to communities. Find out more www.syngenta.com/ar2009

31

Syngenta Annual Review 2009

Employees1

25,925
24 148
Employees by region

2008

We engage our employees and attract potential future employees through our ability to provide rewarding opportunities to contribute to key global challenges. Our focus is on improving the ways in which we work together, learning and growth opportunities and leadership development. Our efforts are recognized both internally and externally.

In 2009, we launched a career development framework for employees across Syngenta. The myCareer program supports people in development and career planning and helps them to set goals as part of their yearly performance reviews with line managers. It also provides integrated links to learning and development opportunities.

Working together
We consider our way of working as a key differentiator. Our culture emphasizes the importance of living our company purpose, Bringing plant potential to life, along with our four values: innovation, intensity, health and performance. These values create the foundation for our successful internal recognition program, the Syngenta Awards, with more than 10,000 participating employees entering over 1,000 projects. The Awards projects demonstrate how our values shape the way we work in teams, with partners and customers, and how we contribute to local communities and society at large. The Syngenta Code of Conduct clearly sets out the high standards stakeholders can expect from Syngenta on a broad range of issues. Together with our purpose and values, it guides our behavior. The requirements of the Code were brought to life in 2009 in leader-led team discussions and an online training program. Employees are encouraged to refer any questions or concerns they may have to their line manager or a condential external compliance helpline. Syngenta wants to ensure that our employees maintain a healthy work/life balance. In the USA, for example, Syngenta launched an addition to its Reaping Rewards program: a Mobile Wellness Unit which tours our US sites. The unit provides the opportunity for registered nurses to offer various health checks, testing, assessment and educational opportunities to employees and their spouses. At our Flowers sites in Kenya and Ethiopia, we provide medical services for more than 5,000 employees, and support schools for their children and the wider community.

Leadership development
Syngenta has built a highly exible set of programs, tools and processes to address the fundamentals of leadership. Our leadership model outlines the required capabilities which we have dened to ensure a consistent, company-wide approach to leadership. Syngenta leaders are expected to take responsibility for the development of their people, providing them with opportunities for growth and development. In 2009, we expanded development opportunities to highlight the importance of our frontline managers. We have broadened our core skills to include leadership mindsets, behaviors and values. During 2008 and 2009, a cross section of more than 1,500 Syngenta leaders along with invited external stakeholders, attended the Syngenta Global Leadership Fairs. The ve fairs, which took place in different locations around the world, provided participants with the opportunity to share knowledge and experiences, leverage current opportunities and explore future possibilities. Discussions with our external stakeholders deepened understanding of their needs, highlighting the global agricultural challenges facing the world.

EAME NAFTA LATAM APAC

09 08 12,565 11,471 5,214 3,782 4,364 5,076 3,610 3,991

1 Permanent personnel as of December 31, 2009

Recognizing employee contribution


Recognizing employee contributions and achievements is an important part of our culture. In 2009, our ShortTerm Incentive package was redesigned, reecting a standard approach across the organization. Additionally, we extended our Employee Share Program to include Korea, Hungary and China. In 2009, more than 60 percent of our employees were eligible to participate in our Employee Share Purchase Plan.

External recognition
In 2009, Syngenta was recognized in the USA as one of the Top 20 Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Employers. Additionally, we won awards as best employer in Romania and Hungary. In Switzerland, the University of Bern recognized the Syngenta Finance Management program with its IOP Award for Excellence in Human Resource Management: Switzerlands Best Trainee Program. Syngenta also ranks among the top ve employers in Switzerland for science graduates according to a 2009 study by Trendence. In Waterloo, Canada, we received our third consecutive acknowledgment as one of the regions Top Employers. Finally, Syngenta was ranked sixth among the best companies to work for in the Las Mejores Empresas para Trabajar (Best Companies to Work For) survey in Argentina.

Learning and growth opportunities


Our approach to people development is aligned globally, and our programs adhere to a common set of core learning principles and disciplines which are unique to Syngenta. Complementing the offer of our learning and development programs is our comprehensive curriculum for functional capability. The Marketing and Sales Excellence (MaSE) program, for example, recognizes our top marketing and sales practitioners, providing them with opportunities to share their expertise and contribute beyond the scope of their existing roles.

32

Syngenta Annual Review 2009

Operations

Driving excellence across our operations


In order to ensure the ongoing success of our business, many functions across our organization need to work together seamlessly. From product development right through to on-farm stewardship, Syngenta is committed to excellence across all our operations.

Efcient production and reliable supply are essential to meet customers requirements for high-quality products when they are needed. In 2009, Syngenta continued to expand its production capacity and strengthen relationships with key suppliers. Protecting the health and safety of our people, our customers and the environment is of the utmost importance to Syngenta and underpins our health, safety and environment (HSE) and stewardship activities.

New global minimum standards for suppliers were introduced in 2009, harmonizing existing local requirements on HSE and ethical behavior with our new Code of Conduct. They will be included as a condition of all new and major existing crop protection contracts and major seed production contracts by the end of 2010. Our seeds are produced on Syngenta sites and by thousands of contract growers around the world, whose performance and seed quality is monitored through regular site visits. Consistent global labor and HSE requirements are being integrated into growers contracts. Syngenta works with the Fair Labor Association (FLA) to monitor HSE and labor standards on seed farms in India. In 2009, more than 8,000 farmers were monitored, covering 97 percent of the vegetable seed suppliers in three key Indian regions. In 2010, we plan to extend the program to cover growers producing eld crop seeds in India, as well as other seed suppliers in Asia, Eastern Europe and Latin America. Syngenta became a full member of the FLA in February 2009 and has committed to cover at least 30 percent of its seed suppliers globally in the labor standards monitoring program.

Driving efciency in production and supply


Active ingredients for our crop protection products are made at eight manufacturing sites in the USA, UK, Switzerland, China and India. A further 18 facilities around the world produce and package the nished products, bringing new products to local markets quickly, while reducing costs in production and supply. Investment of $600 million between 2008 and 2010 is increasing our own manufacturing capacity, mainly for azoxystrobin and thiamethoxam, two active ingredients with exceptional growth potential. In 2009, work began on capacity expansion in our production facilities at Grangemouth, UK, and Monthey, Switzerland. Major suppliers play a critical role in our ability to meet demand for crop protection products, and we invest in these relationships to minimize risks and maximize benets. We conduct nancial health checks and provide them with technical advice. Audits monitor the HSE and quality performance of suppliers manufacturing crop protection products. Originally focusing on suppliers in China and India, these audits are now being extended to cover new contracts in Europe, with a total of 65 audits completed in 2009.

Responsibility for people and the environment


Protecting the health and safety of our people, our customers and the environment is of the utmost importance to Syngenta. In 2009, our updated HSE Policy and Standards were communicated to employees around the world. Strong HSE practices are central to the way we operate, and meeting the Syngenta HSE Standards is therefore a core responsibility of every leader in the company.

In Argentina, Mauricio Morabito (right), Marketing Manager, and Candella Melchiori, Procurement Manager, are developing new ways to deliver products to customers more efciently and safely. The Bag in a Box initiative, for example, decreases packaging waste by delivering rell supplies of crop protection products in replacement bags. Find out more www.syngenta.com/ar2009

We measure health and safety through the global injury and illness rate (IIR, per 200,000 hours worked). We aim to maintain an IIR of 0.5 or below. In 2009, the rate was 0.42, down from 0.5 the previous year. Syngenta is committed to reducing the environmental impacts of its operations, particularly the greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change. In 2009, our CO2-equivalent emissions totaled 1.45 million metric tonnes, a reduction of 6 percent from the previous year. This decrease in absolute emissions is a result of improved production efciencies, coupled with a decrease in production volumes following extremely high production to meet unprecedented demand in 2008. Initiatives to reduce our emissions include transferring some product distribution from road to rail in the US and Canada. We measure our carbon efciency based on kilograms of CO2 equivalents per dollar of operational income (kg CO2e/$EBIT). In 2009, we emitted 0.76 kg CO2e/$EBIT. Our target is to reduce this gure to 0.56 by 2012, a 40percent reduction compared with the 2006 baseline.

compliance monitoring systems into a single set of rigorous standard operating procedures for eld trial operators to follow. In 2009, Syngenta teams working in rural communities around the world trained more than 3.9 million growers to use our products safely and effectively. In the Laikipia region of Kenya, for example, safe and effective use of crop protection products is a core part of our program to help farmers boost yields and improve their livelihoods. In June 2009, we launched a low-bandwidth version of www.stewardshipcommunity.com to extend access to the wide range of resources available on the website. Regular articles, training materials and a fortnightly blog help growers worldwide understand how to use crop protection products safely. We received more than 4,000 visits from 14 countries to the site in 2009. Empty containers for crop protection products can pose a risk to human health and the environment if they are not disposed of responsibly. Lack of knowledge among growers can lead to containers being discarded at the edge of elds or burned. Syngenta is leading a program in Guanghan, Southern China, which encourages farmers to return empty containers to retail stores, where they are sent for controlled incineration. Nearly 100,000 containers were collected in the programs rst year.

Leading stewardship programs


Taking responsibility for our products from the production of seeds to the safe use, storage and disposal of crop protection products by growers is a priority at Syngenta and helps to build strong relationships with our customers and other stakeholders. Biotechnology is subject to extremely strict regulation internationally, and we conduct extensive research trials to assess the effects of genetically modied crops. In 2009, we integrated our quality management and

Integrating our systems and processes


In 2009, we established a new function, Syngenta Business Services, to integrate and standardize our transactional services across the organization. Together with developing new service models, investments in our IT infrastructure will provide the backbone for improving the efciency of these services, simplify workow and provide integrated, standardized processes.

34

Syngenta Annual Review 2009

Board of Directors

From left to right: Peter Thompson, Jrg Witmer, Peggy Bruzelius, Jacques Vincent, David Lawrence, Felix Weber, Martin Taylor, Stefan Borgas, Michael Mack, Pierre Landolt and Rolf Watter at a Syngenta pilot production plant for PLENETM in Holambra, So Paulo State, Brazil.

Membership and qualication


Syngenta is led by a strong and experienced Board. The Board includes representatives from ve nationalities, drawn from broad international business and scientic backgrounds. Its members bring diversity in expertise and perspective to the leadership of a complex, highly regulated, global business.

Michael Mack
Chief Executive Ofcer, Director and member of the Chairmans Committee and the Corporate Responsibility Committee Age: 49. Nationality: American. Appointed: 2008 Michael Mack was Chief Operating Ofcer of Seeds (20042007) and Head of Crop Protection, NAFTA Region (20022004) for Syngenta. Prior to this, he was President of the Global Paper Division of Imerys SA, a French mining and pigments concern, from the time of its merger in 1999 with English China Clays Ltd., where he was Executive Vice President, Americas and Pacic Region, in addition to being an Executive Director of the Board. From 1987 to 1996 he held various roles with Mead Corporation. Michael Mack is also Chairman of the Board of the Swiss-American Chamber of Commerce. Michael Mack has a degree in economics from Kalamazoo College in Michigan, studied at the University of Strasbourg, and has an MBA from Harvard University.

Martin Taylor
Chairman of the Board of Directors, the Chairmans Committee and the Corporate Responsibility Committee and member of the Compensation Committee. He is also Chairman of the Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture Age: 57. Nationality: British. Appointed: 2000 Martin Taylor is currently Vice Chairman of RTL Group SA. Previously he was an Advisor to Goldman Sachs International (19992005), Chairman of WHSmith plc (19992003) and Chief Executive Ofcer of Barclays plc (19931998) and Courtaulds Textiles (19901993). Martin Taylor has a degree in oriental languages from Oxford University.

Jrg Witmer
Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors, member of the Chairmans Committee and of the Compensation Committee Age: 61. Nationality: Swiss. Appointed: 2006 Jrg Witmer is currently Chairman of Givaudan SA and Clariant AG. He is a Board member of Bank Sal. Oppenheim Jr. & Cie. (Schweiz) AG. From 1999 to 2005 he was CEO of Givaudan Group. Between 1978 and 1999 he held various management positions within Roche, including General Manager of Roche Austria, Head of Corporate Communications and Public Affairs at Roche Headquarters Basel, General Manager and Regional Marketing Manager of Roche Far East in Hong Kong and Assistant to the Chairman and CEO of the Roche Group. Jrg Witmer has a doctorate in law from the University of Zurich, as well as a degree in International Studies from the University of Geneva.

35

Syngenta Annual Review 2009

Stefan Borgas
Director and member of the Audit Committee Age: 45. Nationality: German. Appointed: 2009 Stefan Borgas has been President and Chief Executive Ofcer of Lonza since June 2004. Prior to joining Lonza, he spent 14 years with BASF Group where he held various leadership positions in Fine Chemicals and Engineering Plastics in the USA, Germany, Ireland and China. Stefan Borgas holds a degree in Business Administration from the University of Saarbrcken and a Master of Business Administration from the University of St. Gallen. He is member of the Board of SGCI Chemie Pharma Schweiz, the association of Swiss chemical and pharmaceutical industries, of the Swiss-American Chamber of Commerce and of the Swiss Management Gesellschaft (SMG).

Peter Thompson
Director and member of the Audit Committee Age: 63. Nationality: American. Appointed: 2000 Peter Thompson is currently a Director of Sodexo SA. Previously he was President and Chief Executive Ofcer of PepsiCo Beverages International (19962004), President of PepsiCo Foods Internationals Europe, Middle East and Africa Division (19951996) and of Walkers Snack Foods in the UK (19941995). Before joining PepsiCo he held various senior management roles with Grand Metropolitan plc, including President and Chief Executive Ofcer of GrandMet Foods Europe (19921994), Vice Chairman of The Pillsbury Company (19901992) and President and Chief Executive Ofcer of The Paddington Corporation (19841990). Peter Thompson has a degree in modern languages from Oxford University and an MBA from Columbia University.

Peggy Bruzelius
Director and Chairman of the Audit Committee Age: 60. Nationality: Swedish. Appointed: 2000 Peggy Bruzelius is currently Chairman of Lancelot Holding AB. In addition she serves as Vice Chairman of Electrolux AB and as a Director of Scania AB, Husqvarna AB, Akzo Nobel NV, Axfood AB, Diageo plc and Axel Johnson AB. Peggy Bruzelius is Chairman of the Swedish National Agency for Higher Education and a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences. In addition she is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Stockholm School of Economics. Previously she was Executive Vice President of SEB-bank (19971998) and Chief Executive Ofcer of ABB Financial Services (19911997). Peggy Bruzelius holds a Master of Science from the Stockholm School of Economics and an Honorary Doctorate from the same university.

Jacques Vincent
Director and member of the Compensation Committee Age: 63. Nationality: French. Appointed: 2005 Jacques Vincent has been Vice Chairman and Chief Operating Ofcer of the Danone Group, Paris, since 1998, and has been appointed Vice Chairman and Advisor to the Chairman as of January 1, 2008. He began his career with Danone in 1970 and has since held various nancial and overall management positions within this group. Jacques Vincent is a graduate engineer of the Ecole Centrale, Paris, holds a Bachelor in Economics from Paris University and a Master of Science from Stanford University.

Rolf Watter
Director and member of the Chairmans Committee Age: 51. Nationality: Swiss. Appointed: 2000 Rolf Watter has been a partner in the law rm Br & Karrer in Zurich since 1994 and was a member of its executive board and later an executive Director from 2000 until September 2009. He is a non-executive Director of Zurich Financial Services (and its subsidiary Zurich Insurance Company), of Nobel Biocare Holding AG, of UBS Alternative Portfolio AG and A.W. Faber-Castell (Holding) AG. He formerly was non-executive Chairman of Cablecom Holding (20032008), a Director of Centerpulse AG (20022003), of Forbo Holding AG (19992005) and of Feldschlsschen Getrnke AG (20012004). In addition, Rolf Watter is a part-time professor at the Law School of the University of Zurich and a member of the SIX Swiss Exchange Regulatory Board and its Disclosure Commission of Experts. Rolf Watter graduated from the University of Zurich with a doctorate in law and holds an LLM degree from Georgetown University; he is admitted to the Bar of Zurich.

Pierre Landolt
Director and member of the Corporate Responsibility Committee. He is also a member of the Board of the Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture Age: 62. Nationality: Swiss. Appointed: 2000 Pierre Landolt is currently Chairman of the Sandoz Family Foundation and a Director of Novartis AG. He is also a partner with unlimited liabilities of the private bank Landolt & Cie. Pierre Landolt serves, in Brazil, as President of the Instituto Fazenda Tamandu, of the Instituto Estrela de Fomento ao Microcrdito, of AxialPar Ltda and Moco Agropecuaria Ltda, and, in Switzerland, as Chairman of Emasan AG and Vaucher Manufacture Fleurier SA and as Vice Chairman of Parmigiani Fleurier SA. He is a Director of EcoCarbone SAS, France, and Amazentis SA, Switzerland. He is also Vice Chairman of the Montreux Jazz Festival Foundation. Pierre Landolt graduated with a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Paris Assas.

David Lawrence
Director, member of the Corporate Responsibility Committee and Chairman of the Science and Technology Advisory Board Age: 60. Nationality: British. Appointed: 2009 David Lawrence was Head of Research & Development at Syngenta from September 1, 2002 until the end of September, 2008. Prior to his role as Head of Research & Development, David Lawrence was Head Research & Technology Projects (20002002) for Syngenta. Prior to this, he was Head International R&D Projects for Zeneca Agrochemicals, having previously held several senior scientic roles. He is also a member of the BBSRC Council and a Board member for Rothamsted Research and Plastid AS. He is a member of the UK Foresight Lead Expert Group on Food and Farming, and of the UK Industrial Biotechnology Leadership Team. David Lawrence graduated in chemistry from Oxford University with an MA and DPhil in chemical pharmacology.

Felix A. Weber
Director and Chairman of the Compensation Committee Age: 59. Nationality: Swiss. Appointed: 2000 Felix A. Weber is currently Executive Committee Co-Chairman of Nomura Switzerland and a Managing Director of Nomura International Ltd. Previously, he was a Director of Publigroupe (20052009), a Director of Valora (20062008), a Director of Glacier Holdings GP SA and Glacier Holdings S.C.A (which are the former parent entities of Cablecom GmbH) (20032005), a Director of Cablecom GmbH (20042005), Managing Director of Lehman Brothers Ltd. (20062008), Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Ofcer of Adecco SA (19982004), Associate Project Manager and Principal of McKinsey & Company in Zurich (19891997) and Chief Executive Ofcer of Alusuisse South Africa (19821984). Felix A. Weber graduated from the University of St. Gallen, with an MBA in operations research and nance and a PhD in marketing.

36

Syngenta Annual Review 2009

Executive Committee
Members of the Executive Committee
Under the direction of the Chief Executive Ofcer, the Executive Committee is responsible for the operational management of the Company. It consists of the Chief Executive Ofcer (CEO), the Chief Operating Ofcers (COO) of Crop Protection and Seeds, the Chief Financial Ofcer (CFO), the Head of Research & Development, the Head of Global Operations, the Head of Business Development and the Head of Legal & Taxes.

Michael Mack
Chief Executive Ofcer, Director and member of the Chairmans Committee and the Corporate Responsibility Committee Age: 49. Nationality: American. Appointed: 2008 Michael Mack was Chief Operating Ofcer of Seeds (20042007) and Head of Crop Protection, NAFTA Region (20022004) for Syngenta. Prior to this, he was President of the Global Paper Division of Imerys SA, a French mining and pigments concern, from the time of its merger in 1999 with English China Clays Ltd., where he was Executive Vice President, Americas and Pacic Region, in addition to being an Executive Director of the Board. From 1987 to 1996 he held various roles with Mead Corporation. Michael Mack is also Chairman of the Board of the Swiss-American Chamber of Commerce. He has a degree in economics from Kalamazoo College in Michigan, studied at the University of Strasbourg, and has an MBA from Harvard University.

Alejandro Aruffo
Head of Research & Development Age: 50. Nationality: Italian/American. Appointed: 2008 Alejandro Aruffo was Vice President Global Pharmaceutical Development, Abbott (20052008), President Abbott Bioresearch Center and Vice President Abbott Immunology Research and Development (20032005), President Abbott Bioresearch Center and Divisional Vice President Abbott Immunology Research (20022003), Vice President Cardiovascular and Metabolic Disease Drug Discovery (20012002) and Vice President Immunology Drug Discovery (19982001) for Bristol-Myers Squibb. Prior to these roles he held various positions at Bristol-Myers Squibb. He graduated from the University of Washington with BSc degrees in chemistry and mathematics and from Harvard University with a PhD in biophysics.

John Atkin
Chief Operating Ofcer Crop Protection Age: 56. Nationality: British. Appointed: 2000 John Atkin was Chief Executive Ofcer (19992000), Chief Operating Ofcer (1999), Head of Product Portfolio Management (1998) and Head of Insecticides and Patron for Asia (19971998) of Novartis Crop Protection. Prior to 1998 he was General Manager of Sandoz Agro France (19951997) and Head of Sandoz Agro Northern Europe (19931995). In 2008 he was appointed Visiting Professor at the Institute for Research on Environment and Sustainability (IRES) at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne. He graduated from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne with a PhD and a BSc degree in agricultural zoology.

Robert Berendes
Head of Business Development Age: 44. Nationality: German. Appointed: 2007 Robert Berendes was Head of Diverse Field Crops (20052006) and Head of Strategy, Planning and M&A (20022005) for Syngenta. Prior to this, he was a partner and co-leader of the European chemical practice at McKinsey & Company. He graduated from the University of Cologne with a diploma in chemistry and has a PhD in biophysics from the Max-Planck-Institute for Biochemistry/Technical University of Munich.

37

Syngenta Annual Review 2009

Christoph Mder
Head of Legal & Taxes and Company Secretary Age: 50. Nationality: Swiss. Appointed: 2000 Christoph Mder was Head of Legal & Public Affairs of Novartis Crop Protection (19992000) and Senior Corporate Counsel of Novartis International AG (19921998). He is Chairman of SGCI Chemie Pharma Schweiz, the association of Swiss chemical and pharmaceutical industries. He is also a member of the Executive Committee of the Board of economiesuisse, the main umbrella organization representing the Swiss economy. He graduated from Basel University Law School, and is admitted to the Bar in Switzerland.

Mark Peacock
Head of Global Operations Age: 48. Nationality: British. Appointed: 2007 Mark Peacock was previously Head of Global Supply (20032006) and Regional Supply Manager for Asia Pacic (20002003) for Syngenta. Prior to this he was a Product Manager in Zeneca Agrochemicals and General Manager of the Electrophotography Business in Zeneca Specialties. He has a degree in chemical engineering from Imperial College, London, and a masters in international management from McGill University in Montreal.

Davor Pisk
Chief Operating Ofcer Seeds Age: 51. Nationality: British. Appointed: 2008 Davor Pisk was Region Head Crop Protection Asia Pacic (20032007) for Syngenta and Region Head Asia for Zeneca Agrochemicals (19982001). Prior to 1998, he was Head of Herbicides for Zeneca (19931997) and General Manager of ICI Czechoslovakia (19911993). He has a BA in Economics and Politics from Exeter University, UK, and an MA in Political Science from the University of California, USA.

John Ramsay
Chief Financial Ofcer Age: 52. Nationality: British. Appointed: 2007 John Ramsay was Group Financial Controller (20002007) for Syngenta. Prior to that, he was Zeneca Agrochemicals Finance Head Asia Pacic (19941999), Financial Controller ICI Malaysia (19901993) and ICI Plant Protection Regional Controller Latin America (19871990). Prior to joining ICI in 1984, he worked in Audit and Tax at KPMG. He is a Chartered Accountant and also holds an honors degree in nance and accounting.

38

Syngenta Annual Review 2009

Financial information
A summary of Syngentas consolidated nancial statements is provided on pages 38 to 45. For full details and analysis of the Groups audited nancial results, prepared in accordance with IFRS, please refer to our comprehensive Financial Report which is available on request or on our website www.syngenta.com References to EBITDA in the following nancial information excludes the impact of restructuring, impairment and discontinued operations1.

Summarized nancial information 2009 and 2008


Ex Restructuring1 and impairment1 Year ended December 31, ($m, except per share amounts) 2009 2008 Restructuring and impairment 2009 2008 2009 As reported under IFRS 2008

Sales Gross prot Marketing and distribution Research and development General and administrative Restructuring and impairment Operating income Income before taxes Income tax expense Net income Attributable to minority interests Attributable to Syngenta AG shareholders: Earnings/(loss) per share (US$)2 Basic Diluted

10,992 5,423 (1,812) (960) (738) 1,913 1,790 (309) 1,481 (3) 1,478 15.87 15.76
2009

11,624 5,920 (2,039) (969) (849) 2,063 1,897 (357) 1,540 1,540 16.40 16.26
2008

(17) (130) (147) (149) 42 (107) (107) (1.15) (1.14)


20093 CER3

(9) (196) (205) (205) 50 (155) (155) (1.65) (1.63)

10,992 5,406 (1,812) (960) (738) (130) 1,766 1,641 (267) 1,374 (3) 1,371 14.72 14.62

11,624 5,911 (2,039) (969) (849) (196) 1,858 1,692 (307) 1,385 1,385 14.75 14.63

Gross prot margin excluding restructuring and impairment EBITDA


4

49.3% 2,374 21.6% 17% 580 36% 25% 1,802

50.9% 2,494 21.5% 19% 761 30% 32% 1,886

50.8% 23.1%

EBITDA margin Tax rate on results excluding restructuring and impairment Free cash ow5 Trade working capital to sales Debt/Equity gearing7 Net debt7
6

1 F  or further discussion of restructuring and impairment charges, see page 44. Net income and earnings per share excluding restructuring and impairment are provided as additional information and not as an alternative to net income and earnings per share determined in accordance with IFRS. The weighted average number of ordinary shares in issue used to calculate the earnings per share were as follows: For 2009 basic EPS 93,154,537 and diluted 93,760,196; for 2008 basic EPS 2  93,916,415 and diluted EPS 94,696,762. 3 For a description of CER see page 44. 4 EBITDA is dened on page 44. 5 For a description of free cash ow, see page 44. 6 Period end trade working capital as a percentage of 12-month sales. 7 For a description of net debt and the calculation of debt/equity gearing, see page 44.

39

Syngenta Annual Review 2009

Full year product line and regional sales


Year ended December 31 2009 $m 2008 $m Actual % CER1 %

Syngenta Crop Protection Seeds Business Development Inter-segment elimination Third Party Sales Crop Protection Product line Selective Herbicides Non-selective Herbicides Fungicides Insecticides Seed Care Professional Products Others Total Regional Europe, Africa and Middle East NAFTA Latin America Asia Pacic Total Seeds Product line Corn and Soybean Diverse Field Crops Vegetables Flowers Total Regional Europe, Africa and Middle East NAFTA Latin America Asia Pacic Total
1 For a description of CER see page 44.

8,491 2,564 8 (71) 10,992

9,231 2,442 24 (73) 11,624

8 +5 69 5

2 + 13 69 +1

2,221 1,141 2,442 1,312 821 458 96 8,491 2,667 2,567 1,907 1,350 8,491

2,412 1,329 2,620 1,423 830 527 90 9,231 3,214 2,693 2,037 1,287 9,231

8 14 7 8 1 13 +6 8 17 5 6 +5 8

8 1 +4 11 +9 2 5 6 + 11 2

1,210 429 594 331 2,564 933 1,187 243 201 2,564

1,040 462 603 337 2,442 1,077 979 216 170 2,442

+ 16 7 2 2 +5 13 + 21 + 12 + 18 +5

+ 21 + 11 +5 +5 + 13 +3 + 22 + 12 + 28 + 13

40

Syngenta Annual Review 2009

Financial information

Condensed consolidated income statement


Year ended December 31, ($m, except share and per share amounts) 2009 2008

Sales Cost of goods sold Gross prot Marketing and distribution Research and development General and administrative Restructuring and impairment Operating income Income/(loss) from associates and joint ventures Financial expenses, net Income before taxes Income tax expense Net income Attributable to: Minority interests Syngenta AG shareholders Net income Earnings per share (US$): Basic Diluted Weighted average number of shares: Basic Diluted
All amounts relate to continuing operations.

10,992 (5,586) 5,406 (1,812) (960) (738) (130) 1,766 (3) (122) 1,641 (267) 1,374 3 1,371 1,374 14.72 14.62 93,154,537 93,760,196

11,624 (5,713) 5,911 (2,039) (969) (849) (196) 1,858 3 (169) 1,692 (307) 1,385 1,385 1,385 14.75 14.63 93,916,415 94,696,762

41

Syngenta Annual Review 2009

Restructuring and impairment before taxes


Year ended December 31 ($m) 2009 2008

Non-cash restructuring and impairment, net Cash costs: Operational efciency programs Integration and acquisition costs Total cash costs Total restructuring and impairment before taxes1
1  US$17 million (2008: US$9 million) is included within cost of goods sold and US$2 million (2008: US$nil) is included within income/(loss) from associates and joint ventures.

23 98 28 126 149

80 79 46 125 205

42

Syngenta Annual Review 2009

Financial information

Condensed consolidated balance sheet


At December 31 ($m) 2009 2008

Assets Current assets: Cash and cash equivalents Trade receivables Other accounts receivable Inventories Derivative and other nancial assets Other current assets Total current assets Non-current assets: Property, plant and equipment Intangible assets Deferred tax assets Dened benet pension asset Derivative nancial assets Other non-current nancial assets Total non-current assets Total assets Liabilities and equity Current liabilities: Trade accounts payable Current nancial debt Income taxes payable Derivative nancial liabilities Other current liabilities Provisions Total current liabilities Non-current liabilities: Financial debt and other non-current liabilities Deferred tax liabilities Provisions Total non-current liabilities Total liabilities Equity: Shareholders equity Minority interests Total equity Total liabilities and equity (7,141) (14) (7,155) (16,696) (5,884) (17) (5,901) (14,584) (3,527) (884) (879) (5,290) (9,541) (2,869) (659) (921) (4,449) (8,683) (2,468) (281) (376) (145) (827) (154) (4,251) (2,240) (211) (322) (457) (834) (170) (4,234) 2,738 3,102 660 679 248 375 7,802 16,696 2,188 3,083 514 628 152 399 6,964 14,584 1,552 2,506 558 3,922 156 200 8,894 803 2,311 479 3,456 381 190 7,620

43

Syngenta Annual Review 2009

Condensed consolidated cash ow statement


Year ended December 31 ($m) 2009 2008

Income before taxes Reversal of non-cash items Cash (paid)/received in respect of: Interest and other nancial receipts Interest and other nancial payments Income taxes Restructuring costs Contributions to pension plans, excluding restructuring costs Other provisions Cash ow before change in net working capital Change in net working capital: Change in inventories Change in trade and other accounts receivable and other net current assets Change in trade and other accounts payable Cash ow from operating activities Additions to property, plant and equipment Proceeds from disposals of property, plant and equipment Purchases of intangible assets Purchases of investments in associates and other nancial assets Proceeds from disposals of nancial assets Net cash ows from (purchases)/disposals of marketable securities Acquisitions and divestments Cash ow used for investing activities Increases in third party interest-bearing debt Repayments of third party interest-bearing debt Sale/(purchase) of treasury shares and options over own shares Dividends paid Cash ow from nancing activities Net effect of currency translation on cash and cash equivalents Net change in cash and cash equivalents Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of the year Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the year

1,641 668 96 (380) (165) (79) (125) (81) 1,575 (178) 55 (33) 1,419 (652) 33 (97) (22) 87 (41) (188) (880) 926 (183) (79) (494) 170 40 749 803 1,552

1,692 973 199 (150) (283) (140) (113) (108) 2,070 (982) (291) 669 1,466 (444) 29 (118) (70) 42 97 (144) (608) 986 (378) (613) (452) (457) (101) 300 503 803

44

Syngenta Annual Review 2009

Financial information

Free cash ow
Year ended December 31 ($m) 2009 2008

Cash ow from operating activities Cash ow used for investing activities Net cash ows from purchases/(disposals) of marketable securities Free cash ow

1,419 (880) 41 580

1,466 (608) (97) 761

Constant exchange rates (CER)


Results in this report from one period to another period are, where appropriate, compared using constant exchange rates (CER). To present that information, current period results for entities reporting in currencies other than US dollars are converted into US dollars at the prior periods exchange rates, rather than at the exchange rates for the current year. CER margin percentages for gross prot and EBITDA are calculated by the ratio of these measures to sales after restating the measures and sales at prior period exchange rates. The CER presentation indicates the underlying business performance before taking into account currency exchange uctuations.

The incidence of these business changes may be periodic and the effect on reported performance of initiating them will vary from period to period. Because each such business change is different in nature and scope, there will be little continuity in the detailed composition and size of the reported amounts which affect performance in successive periods. Separate disclosure of these amounts facilitates the understanding of performance including and excluding items affecting comparability. Reported performance before restructuring and impairment is one of the measures used in Syngentas short-term employee incentive compensation plans. Syngentas denition of restructuring and impairment may not be comparable to similarly titled line items in nancial statements of other companies.

EBITDA
EBITDA is dened as earnings before interest, tax, minority interests, depreciation, amortization, restructuring and impairment. Information concerning EBITDA has been included as it is used by management and by investors as a supplementary measure of operating performance and is used by Syngenta as the basis of part of its employee incentive schemes. Management excludes restructuring from EBITDA in order to focus on results excluding items affecting comparability from one period to the next. EBITDA is not a measure of cash liquidity or nancial performance under generally accepted accounting principles and the EBITDA measures used by Syngenta may not be comparable to other similarly titled measures of other companies. EBITDA should not be construed as an alternative to operating income or cash ow as determined in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles.

Free cash ow
Free cash ow comprises cash ow from operating and investing activities, except investments in and proceeds from marketable securities. Free cash ow is not a measure of nancial performance under generally accepted accounting principles and the free cash ow measure used by Syngenta may not be comparable to similarly titled measures of other companies. Free cash ow has been included as it is used by many investors as a useful supplementary measure of cash generation.

Net debt
Net debt comprises total debt net of related hedging derivatives, cash and cash equivalents and marketable securities. Net debt is not a measure of nancial position under generally accepted accounting principles and the net debt measure used by Syngenta may not be comparable to the similarly titled measure of other companies. Net debt has been included as it is used by many investors as a useful measure of nancial position and risk. The following table presents the derivation of the debt/equity gearing ratio:
($m) 2009 2008

Restructuring and impairment before taxes


Restructuring represents the effect on reported performance of initiating business changes which are considered major and which, in the opinion of management, will have a material effect on the nature and focus of Syngentas operations, and therefore require separate disclosure to provide a more thorough understanding of business performance. Restructuring includes the effects of completing and integrating signicant business combinations and divestments. Restructuring and impairment includes the impairment costs associated with major restructuring and also impairment losses and reversals of impairment losses resulting from major changes in the markets in which a reported segment operates.

Net debt Shareholders equity Debt/equity gearing ratio (%)

1,802 7,141 25%

1,886 5,884 32%

45

Syngenta Annual Review 2009

Full year segmental results excluding restructuring and impairment


Year ended December 31, 2009 ($m) Crop Protection Business Inter-segment Seeds Development elimination Full year 2009

Sales Gross prot Marketing and distribution Research and development General and administrative Operating income EBITDA EBITDA (%)

8,491 4,217 (1,260) (512) (515) 1,930 2,242 26.4


Crop Protection

2,564 1,218 (542) (368) (203) 105 244 9.5

8 (7) (10) (80) (20) (117) (107) n/a


Business Development

(71) (5) (5) (5)


Inter-segment elimination

10,992 5,423 (1,812) (960) (738) 1,913 2,374 21.6


Full year 2008

Year ended December 31, 2008 ($m)

Seeds

Sales Gross prot Marketing and distribution Research and development General and administrative Operating income EBITDA EBITDA (%)

9,231 4,806 (1,474) (556) (655) 2,121 2,455 26.6

2,442 1,120 (555) (343) (173) 49 135 5.5

24 6 (10) (70) (21) (95) (84) n/a

(73) (12) (12) (12)

11,624 5,920 (2,039) (969) (849) 2,063 2,494 21.5

Reconciliation of segment EBITDA to segment operating income excluding restructuring and impairment
Year ended December 31, 2009 ($m) Crop Protection Business Inter-segment Seeds Development elimination Total

EBITDA Depreciation, amortization and impairment Income/(loss) from associates and joint ventures Operating income excluding restructuring and impairment

2,242 (321) 9 1,930


Crop Protection

244 (131) (8) 105

(107) (10) (117)


Business Development

(5) (5)
Inter-segment elimination

2,374 (462) 1 1,913

Year ended December 31, 2008 ($m)

Seeds

Total

EBITDA Depreciation, amortization and impairment Income/(loss) from associates and joint ventures Operating income excluding restructuring and impairment

2,455 (334) 2,121

135 (82) (4) 49

(84) (12) 1 (95)

(12) (12)

2,494 (428) (3) 2,063

46

Syngenta Annual Review 2009

Corporate Responsibility performance summary


A summary of Syngentas performance in the areas of resource efciency, stewardship, people, environment and compliance is presented on pages 4649. The environmental performance numbers have been normalized to $EBIT1 to better relate our performance in these areas to value creation. To view a more detailed report, please visit the Annual Report website www.syngenta.com/ar2009

Resource efcient programs


Our programs teach growers how to use sustainable agriculture techniques for managing natural resources in the most efcient and responsible way, e.g. reducing the water needed for crop cultivation, minimizing soil erosion and improving productivity for efcient land use.

Soil, water, biodiversity, IPM/ICM, safe use 2 Total investment ($m) EAME NAFTA LATAM APAC Active programs

2009

2008

2007

7.03 29.0% 24.8% 26.8% 19.4% 177

8.13 40.6% 29.0% 16.8% 13.6% 163

7.84 43.0% 23.0% 14.3% 19.7% 188

Stewardship
Syngenta aims to maximize benets and minimize negative impacts throughout the lifecycle of its products. We adopt strict measures to ensure the safety of our chemical products and biotechnology, and we audit suppliers to ensure they meet our HSE and labor standards. Training on the safe and effective use of our products helps growers get the most benet from them.

Product stewardship safe use training2 Number of people trained (m)3 EAME NAFTA LATAM APAC Active programs Number of countries participating in adverse health incident management system Product stewardship biotechnology and regulatory compliance Number of eld trial employees trained Trial locations audited by or on behalf of Syngenta Number of trials audited per year by Syngenta
1  Excluding restructuring and impairment 2  Starting 2009, reporting year October 1 to September 30 3  In 2009 1.67 million from farmer contest televised training

2009

2008

2007

3.94 0.4% 0.0% 8.3% 91.3% 129 50 1,177 40% 189

2.39 1.6% 0.2% 23.2% 75.0% 119 45 782 40% 168

3.19 23.5% 0.0% 9.2% 67.3% 99 45 551 64% 189

47

Syngenta Annual Review 2009

People
Syngenta operates around the globe, and has a rich mix of employees from backgrounds that reect our diverse markets. We believe this diversity is an asset to the Company, and we have programs to ensure all employees are given an equal opportunity. The safety of our staff is a priority. We provide a healthy and motivating work environment and offer competitive rewards, which help attract and retain the most talented individuals. To help them achieve their career aspirations, employees are encouraged to fulll their potential with training/ development programs, and regular discussions with line managers. Responding to feedback from employees helps us improve our business and, in turn, ensures they are proud to work for Syngenta. Sites respond to employee feedback through local programs and share best practices through our online database.

People retention Employees (number of permanent personnel) as of December 311 EAME NAFTA LATAM APAC Part-time employees Turnover rate Turnover rate <35 Turnover rate 3550 Turnover rate >50 Employees entitled to participate in share scheme Entitled employees participating in share scheme Employees participating in LTI plan Diversity Female employees In management roles In senior management Proportion of senior management from each region Number of senior managers EAME NAFTA LATAM APAC Number of nationalities in senior management Employee development Total training investment ($m) EAME NAFTA LATAM APAC Training investment per employee (US$) Health and safety Recordable injury and illness rate (IIR) per 200,000 hours2 Recordable injury per 200,000 hours2 EAME NAFTA LATAM APAC Recordable occupational illness rate per 200,000 hours EAME NAFTA LATAM APAC First aid cases
1  Employee numbers are presented as full-time employees 2 According to US OHSAS denition for injuries and illness
2

2009

2008

2007

25,925 12,565 5,214 3,782 4,364 763 9.3% 3.2% 3.2% 3.0% 15,829 48% 1,016 30% 20% 11% 196 64% 20% 7% 9% 24 24.9 16.3 2.5 3.1 3.0 962 0.42 0.38 0.47 0.58 0.19 0.19 0.03 0.05 0.06 0.03 0 712

24,148 11,471 5,076 3,610 3,991 716 9.8% 3.8% 3.9% 2.0% 13,821 49% 886 28% 19% 12% 190 64% 22% 6% 9% 22 27.2 16.6 3.4 3.6 3.6 1,126 0.50 0.47 0.46 0.98 0.19 0.24 0.03 0.04 0.03 0.06 0 421

21,242 11,249 4,572 1,817 3,603 713 12.3% 12,730 52% 964 27% 17% 12% 162 59% 28% 8% 6% 17 21.6 14 4 1.3 2.3 1,017 0.49 0.40 0.40 0.81 0.10 0.30 0.04 0.08 0.05 0 0.02 402

48

Syngenta Annual Review 2009

Corporate Responsibility performance summary

People continued

Public health Number of people receiving training in effective vector control Economic value shared Corporate community investment ($m)1 Salaries ($m)

2009

2008

2007

2,863 17.5 2,229


2009

9,128 10.8 2,179


2008

7,335 9.0 1,928


2007

Environment
Managing the environmental impacts of our operations is a key element of our health, safety and environment (HSE) strategy. The global coordination of our program is supported by local initiatives to minimize the impact of our operations on climate change, air quality and water resources. We monitor energy use to identify opportunities to improve efciency. Our energy strategy encourages local teams to select the best ways to reduce energy at local sites. By 2012, we aim to decrease global greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent relative to EBIT from the 2006 baseline. Sites also have programs to cut water use and minimize generation of efuent and waste. Local targets aim to increase recycling and cut the amount of waste sent to landll.

Energy Energy (TJ) MJ/$EBIT Gas (TJ) Electricity (TJ) Steam (TJ) Others (TJ) Oil (TJ) Number of sites setting energy targets Greenhouse gases Total CO2e emissions (000s tonnes) kg /$EBIT Within direct control: CO2e emissions from own operations (000s tonnes)2 of which: CO2 (000s tonnes) Within indirect control: CO2e emissions from purchased energy (000s tonnes)3 CO2e emissions from employee travel (000s tonnes)4 CO2e emissions from distribution (000s tonnes)4 Other air emissions Total other air emissions (tonnes) g/$EBIT NOx (tonnes) Non-halogenated VOCs (tonnes) Halogenated VOCs (tonnes) Particulates (tonnes) SO2 (tonnes) NH3 (tonnes) HCL (tonnes) Water Water consumption (million tonnes) kg/$EBIT Cooling (million tonnes) Processing and washing (million tonnes) Others (million tonnes) Product ingredient (million tonnes) Sewage and sanitary (million tonnes)
1  $1.5 million from Resource efcient programs 2 Starting 2008, as dened in scope 1 of the GHG protocol of the WBCSD 3 Starting 2008, as dened in scope 2 of the GHG protocol of the WBCSD 4 Starting 2008, as dened in scope 3 of the GHG protocol of the WBCSD

8,334 4.36 3,675 2,096 1,153 775 635 19 1,452 0.76 641 426 418 90 303 980 0.51 416 415 49 63 20 7 10 32.0 16.7 21.0 7.1 2.0 0.2 1.7

8,653 4.19 4,074 2,262 1,076 940 301 20 1,542 0.75 701 467 426 86 329 1,100 0.53 644 308 23 82 20 8 15 31.1 15.1 19.5 8.1 1.5 0.3 1.7

8,279 5.50 4,057 2,153 993 745 331 15 1,022 0.68 517 390 153 73 279 947 0.63 435 379 18 73 19 10 13 28.3 18.8 17.8 6.9 1.5 0.2 1.9

49

Syngenta Annual Review 2009

Environment continued

Waste water efuents Total waste water discharge (million tonnes) kg/$EBIT of which: total organic carbon (TOC) (tonnes) chemical oxygen demand (COD) (tonnes) biological oxygen demand (BOD) (tonnes) Soluble salts discharged (000s tonnes) Waste water sludge (tonnes) g/$EBIT Waste Hazardous waste (000s tonnes) kg/$EBIT of which: recycled/re-used (000s tonnes) incinerated (000s tonnes) landll (000s tonnes) other (000s tonnes) Non-hazardouse waste (000s tonnes) kg/$EBIT of which: recycled/re-used (000s tonnes) incinerated (000s tonnes) landll (000s tonnes) other (000s tonnes) Number of sites with reduction programs Environmental compliance Signicant unplanned releases1

2009

2008

2007

21.2 11.1 783 2,677 234 122.6 4,226 2.2 173.9 0.09 51.4 97.1 0.7 24.7 124.0 0.06 66.4 25.2 15.5 16.9 19 0
2009

23.6 11.4 725 2,358 225 131.5 3,767 1.8 153.3 0.07 47.5 84.3 1.5 20.0 120.2 0.06 72.1 19.3 22.8 6.0 19 2
2008

24.4 16.2 681 2,229 211 120.2 3,676 2.4 131.2 0.09 36.7 72.2 1.3 21.0 81.1 0.05 34.9 14.6 17.8 13.8 14 1
2007

Compliance
The Syngenta Code of Conduct sets our commitment to ethical, social and environmental responsibility, including human rights and fair labor practices. Employees are encouraged to report any suspected breaches. Local laws and regulations govern our environmental behavior, and we have stringent HSE management systems to ensure compliance. We set high standards for animal welfare and audit compliance.

Corporate conduct Cases reported through the compliance helpline EAME NAFTA LATAM APAC Cases leading to disciplinary action2 Health, safety, environment and social compliance in supply Number of seed supply farmers included in Syngenta/FLA monitoring Number of HSE audits at chemical suppliers Animal welfare Number of audits performed in contract laboratories Number of instances of non-compliance found

76 17% 26% 15% 42% 18 8,169 65 3 0

31 19% 19% 23% 39% 14 2,312 59 6 0

15 33% 27% 20% 20% 12 1,170 53 16 0

1 Releases that escape beyond the site boundary and that cause either environmental impact and/or concern from neighbours, regulators etc 2 We monitor compliance through a condential compliance helpline, a letter of assurance process and other means

50

Syngenta Annual Review 2009

Shareholder information
Syngenta shares are listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange and on the New York Stock Exchange, where the shares are traded as ADS/ADR (American Depositary Receipts).1
Trading symbols
SIX Swiss Exchange New York Stock Exchange

Syngenta share price performance December 31, 2006 December 31, 2009
60 40 20 0

Shares Shares in issue


At December 31, 2009

SYNN

SYT

Number of shares

Total shares in issue of which treasury shares Share price and market capitalization2
At December 31, 2009

94,599,849 1,617,901

20 40 60

Share price (CHF) Share price (USD) (ADR) Market capitalization (CHF million) Market capitalization (USD million) Dividend history

290.70 56.27 27,030 26,210

Dec 2006

Mar

Jun

Sep

Dec 2007

Mar

Jun

Sep

Dec 2008

Mar

Jun

Sep

Dec 2009

Syngenta SMI Eurotop 300

Syngenta ADR price performance December 31, 2006 December 31, 2009

80
Dividend CHF

60 40 20 0 20

2005 2006 2007 2008 20093 Total shareholder return4

3.30 3.80 4.80 6.00 6.00

40 60
Dec 2006 Mar Jun Sep Dec 2007 Mar Jun Sep Dec 2008 Mar Jun Sep Dec 2009 Syngenta ADR Dow Jones S&P 500

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

37.6 40.7 29.4 29.5 48.6

1 1 share = 5 ADRs 2  For the purposes of calculating market capitalization the number of shares stood at 92.982 million 3  To be submitted for shareholder approval at the Annual General Meeting on April 20, 2010 4  Calculated as return on ordinary shares plus reinvested dividends

Reporting dates First quarter trading statement Annual General Meeting Half-year results Third quarter trading statement April 15, 2010 April 20, 2010 July 22, 2010 October 14, 2010

A full form 20-F will be accessible by the end of February at: www.syngenta.com/ir Investors can subscribe to Financial Releases via RSS at: www.syngenta.com/ir The full-year results press release can be viewed up to six months after the event at: www.syngenta.com/fyr2009

51

Syngenta Annual Review 2009

Independent Assurance Report on the Syngenta Corporate Responsibility Reporting


To the Head of Legal and Taxes, Syngenta International AG, Basel (Syngenta): We have performed assurance procedures to provide assurance on the following aspects of the 2009 Corporate Responsibility (CR) reporting of Syngenta.

Main Assurance Procedures


Our assurance procedures included the following work: Evaluation of the application of group guidelines  Reviewing the application of the Syngenta internal HSE and CCI reporting guidelines; Site visits  Visiting three selected sites of Syngentas Crop Protection and Seeds Business Units in France, India and Sweden. The selection was based on quantitative and qualitative criteria; Interviewing personnel responsible for internal reporting and data collection at the sites we visited and at the group level;  Assessment of the performance indicators Performing tests on a sample basis of evidence supporting the CR Performance Summary relative to completeness, accuracy, adequacy and consistency;  Review of the documentation Reviewing the relevant documentation on a sample basis, including management and reporting structures and documentation;  Assessment of the processes and data consolidation Reviewing the appropriateness of the management and reporting processes for CR reporting; and Assessing the consolidation process of data at the group level.

Subject matter
Data and information disclosed with the CR reporting of Syngenta and its consolidated subsidiaries, for the nancial year ended December 31, 2009 on the following aspects:  The application of the Syngenta internal Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) and Corporate Community Investment (CCI) reporting guidelines to the CR reporting;  The internal reporting system and procedures, including the control environment, to collect and aggregate CR data; and The CR Performance Summary disclosed on pages  46 to 49 of the Syngenta Annual Review 2009. Our assurance procedures do not cover the indicator on Salaries in the Performance Summary on page 48 of the Annual Review.

Criteria
 The Syngenta internal Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) and Corporate Community Investment (CCI) reporting guidelines; and The dened procedures by which the CR data are  gathered, collated and aggregated internally.

Conclusions
In our opinion The internal HSE and CCI guidelines are being applied  properly; and The internal reporting system and procedures to collect  and aggregate CR data are functioning as designed and provide an appropriate basis for its disclosure. Based on our work described in this report, nothing has come to our attention that causes us to believe that the data and information mentioned in the subject matter and disclosed with the Corporate Responsibility reporting in the Syngenta Annual Review 2009 does not give a fair picture of Syngentas performance in the area of Corporate Responsibility.

Responsibility and Methodology


The accuracy and completeness of CR performance indicators are subject to inherent limitations given their nature and methods for determining, calculating and estimating such data. Our assurance report should therefore be read in connection with Syngentas internal guidelines, denitions and procedures on the reporting of its CR performance. The Board of Directors of Syngenta is responsible for both the subject matter and the criteria. Our responsibility is to provide a conclusion on the subject matter based on our assurance procedures in accordance with the International Standard on Assurance Engagements (ISAE) 3000.

PricewaterhouseCoopers AG Zurich, February 8, 2010 Dr. Thomas Scheiwiller David Pritchett

Switzerland Investor Relations T +41 61 323 5883 F +41 61 323 5880 E global.investor_relations@syngenta.com Media Relations T +41 61 323 2323 F +41 61 323 2424 E media.relations@syngenta.com Share Register T +41 62 311 6133 F +41 62 311 6193 E ofce@sag.ch Shareholder Services T +41 61 323 2095 F +41 61 568 4146 E shareholder.services@syngenta.com Ordering of publications T +41 62 311 6133 E syngenta.aktienregister@sag.ch Syngenta switchboard T +41 61 323 1111 F +41 61 323 1212 E global.webmaster@syngenta.com

USA Investor Relations T +1 202 737 6520 T +1 202 737 6521 E global.investor_relations@syngenta.com Media Relations T +1 202 628 2372 F +1 202 347 8758 E media.relations_us@syngenta.com Contacts for ADS holders T +1 888 269 2377 from within the USA T +1 201 680 6825 from outside the USA Syngenta International AG Corporate Affairs Schwarzwaldallee 215 P.O. Box CH-4002 Basel Switzerland www.syngenta.com

For the business year 2009, Syngenta has published three reports: Annual Review (incorporating the Corporate Responsibility Report), Financial Report and Corporate Governance Report. All documents were originally published in English. The Annual Review 2009 and the Corporate Governance Report 2009 are also available in German. These publications are also available on the Internet: www.syngenta.com/ar2009 Syngenta International AG, Basel, Switzerland. All rights reserved. Editorial completion: February 2010 Cautionary statement regarding forward-looking statements: This document contains forwardlooking statements, which can be identied 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 Syngentas publicly available lings with the US Securities and Exchange Commission for information about these and other risks and uncertainties. Syngenta assumes no obligation to update forward-looking statements to reect 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 therefor. Consultancy, design and production: Radley Yeldar, London, UK Consultancy: Context, London, UK Printing: NZZ Fretz AG, Zrich, Switzerland Printed on Hello Silk, made with wood ber from managed forests and manufactured at a mill that has achieved the ISO14001 and EMAS environmental management standards. Photo of World Economic Forum on page 3 courtesy of WEF. Photos on pages 8 and 9: Alexander Mller courtesy of IISD/Earth Negotiations Bulletin; Achim Steiner courtesy of Keystone; Juergen Voegele Simone D, McCourtie/World Bank
Registered trademarks of a Syngenta Group Company Trademarks of a Syngenta Group Company

The SYNGENTA Wordmark, BRINGING PLANT POTENTIAL TO LIFE and the Purpose icon device are trademarks or registered trademarks of a Syngenta Group Company. www.syngenta.com

Article number 016827.040

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