Advan, LLC: New Plant Health Company Created.

ROSWELL, Ga. -- Creation of a new plant health company focused on serving the turf and ornamentals, specialty agriculture and home and garden markets in the U.S. and Mexico was announced today. The new company, Advan, LLC, is being formed by Mitsui & Co. of Japan and the Sipcam-Oxon Groups of Italy and is owned 50:50 by their respective U.S. subsidiaries. Advan begins operations August 1 in Roswell and is expected to generate sales of more than $40 million in 2006 from a product line enriched through a number of new marketing agreements with Certis USA, Sipcam Agro USA, and Mitsui Chemical Inc.

Lynn Brookhouser becomes president and chief executive officer of Advan while retaining his position as president of Sipcam Agro USA, Inc. of Roswell. Tim Damico serves as chief operating officer of Advan and directs tactical sales and marketing operations, customer service and logistics from Columbia, MD. Kurt Schwartau becomes business development and marketing director; he reports to Brookhouser. Advan is managed by three business area managers reporting to Damico: Robert Yarborough, turf and ornamentals, home and garden business manager; Bret Menagh, U.S. agricultural business manager; and Luis Gerardo Gonzales Ruelas, Mexico business manager.

"Our competitive advantage is clear. We have a great product line that is supported by strong people with expertise in the high-value markets of turf and ornamentals, specialty agriculture and home and garden," Brookhouser said. "Also critical to achieving our strategic growth objective is the ability to bring in outstanding third party products. We're pleased that Mitsui Chemical is making that happen right now."

Mitsui Chemical, Inc. of Japan grants development and marketing rights to Advan for a product previously only sold outside the U.S. Upon their registrations, Trebon(R), a broad spectrum insecticide (etofenprox) will be sold by Advan into the turf, ornamentals, greenhouse and specialty agriculture markets. Mitsui Chemical, Inc. will also grant development and marketing rights for other new pesticides to Advan in the near future.

Certis USA, of Columbia, MD and a subsidiary of Mitsui Agriscience International Inc. (MASI), transfers to Advan marketing rights for its U.S. and Mexico products, including insecticides, fungicides and Basamid(R) soil fumigant, while retaining its intellectual property, manufacturing assets and sales outside of the U.S. and Mexico. Additionally, Advan will have exclusive marketing and sales rights to Certis USA's and MASI's future agricultural, turf and ornamentals, and home and garden plant health products in the U.S. and Mexico.

Sipcam provides Advan exclusive marketing and sales rights to current and future agricultural products sold in California, Arizona and Mexico and to turf and ornamentals and home and garden products sold in the U.S. and Mexico. In addition, Advan has exclusive U.S. marketing rights to Echo(R) 82.5 WDG, a new chlorothalonil formulation for use on specialty agricultural crops. Sipcam retains intellectual property assets, manufacturing responsibilities and, with the exception of California and Arizona, will continue to market its agricultural products in the U.S. through its current marketing and sales organization.

For information about Advan and its product line, please visit www.AdvanLLC.com or contact Advan customer service at 800-250-5024.

A digital copy of this news release is available www.AdvanLLC.com.