BASF Plant Science Debuts at BIO 2006; BASF to Dedicate More Than $320 Million over Next Three Years to Development of Next Generation Biotechnological Optimized Crop Plants.

CHICAGO -- BASF, the world's largest chemical company and a global leader in agricultural products and fine chemicals, today announced the debut of its plant biotechnology company at the Biotechnology Industry Organization's (BIO) annual convention. The theme "A Whole New Field of Dreams" was unveiled at the BIO convention to express BASF Plant Science's long-term strategy of developing the next-generation plant biotechnology products. This theme supports the company's business focus of enhancing crops that offer benefits for farmers, human and animal nutrition, and the environment.

"BASF has identified plant biotechnology as the largest of five key future-growth clusters," said Dr. Hans Kast, President and CEO of BASF Plant Science. "Through the investment in plant biotechnology, BASF is expanding its leading role with products in the area of agriculture and nutrition. By combining our advanced technology platform with our comprehensive product portfolio, BASF is shaping the future of this industry."

Kast stated that BASF has a long-established history of successfully entering industries only when the company can make a major contribution to them. "Worldwide BASF was the first in mineral fertilizer. In 1946 we pioneered in crop protection chemicals. Now, our first genetically modified plants are ready for the market," he added.

BASF Plant Science specializes in three areas: 1) genetically enhanced crops that can better survive pests and disease, and perform under adverse environmental conditions such as drought and, as a result, improve harvest yields worldwide; 2) plants that contribute to healthier human and animal nutrition through optimized composition of beneficial ingredients such as oil or protein; and, 3) plants that act as efficient "green factories" to produce valuable complex molecules, thereby reducing the cost and environmental impact of select traditional chemical processes.

The focus on healthier nutrition is underscored by the development and commercialization of new corn products for the feed industry in the U.S. An example is NutriDense(R), a nutritionally enhanced corn that offers more protein, more essential amino acids, more oil/energy, and more available phosphorous, and thus less environmental emissions. It offers dairy and livestock producers innovations that help to improve economies and reduce emissions generated from raising animals.

BASF founded its plant biotechnology company BASF Plant Science in 1998, which today operates seven different sites including a major site at Research Triangle Park in North Carolina. BASF Plant Science currently employs approximately 500 employees. They are part of the global BASF Research Verbund, a large, international research and development network comprised of numerous cooperative agreements with research institutes, universities and biotech companies dedicated to cultivating new knowledge and new capabilities, supported by BASF with an annual investment of nearly $1.2 billion.

The BASF Network of Know-How

Within BASF Plant Science, there are a number of specialized groups dedicated to uncovering new opportunities in plant biotechnology.

Metanomics, a BASF Plant Science Company in Germany, represents BASF's unique gene-discovery research. Scientists at Metanomics work to identify the metabolic functions of each and every plant gene, which allows for the development of plants with desired characteristics.

"The Metanomics database of BASF Plant Science contains metabolic profiles associated with approximately 30,000 plant genes--knowledge that is unique to BASF in this industry," according to Kast. "Metanomics is our competitive advantage in this market, and our products will demonstrate the benefits of this research."

To apply this gene-mapping knowledge to optimize and control specific traits in a plant, BASF uses the expertise of scientists at SunGene, another BASF Plant Science company in Germany. SunGene focuses on metabolic engineering of biosynthetic pathways in order to increase the content of valuable compounds in plants, such as vitamins, carotenoids and proteins. In addition, SunGene develops transformation and enabling technologies for highly efficient transfer and expression of genes in crop plants.

DNA LandMarks, a Canadian-based BASF Plant Science Company, is a world leader in biological marker technologies. By making the identification of targeted plant characteristics more efficient, DNA markers are helpful tools in modern breeding.

"Our talented staff, combined with our exclusive, cooperative research and industry relationships guarantee us a superior platform to compete in the global plant biotechnology marketplace," said Kast. "Our goal at BASF is always to create value for our company and our customers. Biotechnology has this potential, and it will no doubt fundamentally change the business areas of nutrition, agriculture, and specialty chemicals."

BASF is the world's leading chemical company: The Chemical Company. Its portfolio ranges from chemicals, plastics, performance products, agricultural products and specialty chemicals to crude oil and natural gas. As a reliable partner to virtually all industries, BASF's intelligent system solutions and high-value products help its customers to be more successful. BASF develops new technologies and uses them to open up additional market opportunities. It combines economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility, thus contributing to a better future. In 2005, BASF had approximately 81,000 employees and posted sales of approximately $50.4 billion. BASF shares are traded on the stock exchanges in Frankfurt (BAS), London (BFA), New York (BF) and Zurich (AN). Further information on BASF is available on the Internet at www.basf.com.