"We are happy that the multi purpose plant has been commissioned and supplies will commence in the second half as planned. This is an important project for Hikal and it will have a significant impact on our Agrochemical business. We see many such opportunities in this sector given the current global scenario with crop protection products. We look forward to building on the existing excellent relationship we enjoy with Bayer CropScience", said Jai Hiremath, Vice Chairman & Managing Director of Hikal Ltd.

"I am glad that Hikal has set up this state-of-the-art facility. We regard Hikal as a high quality supplier which will produce a fungicide used in the sustainable protection of important crops. This is the second project that we are undertaking with Hikal and we look at them as an important sourcing partner as part of our global strategy", said Dr. Wolfgang Welter, Member of the Board of Management of Bayer CropScience AG and responsible for Industrial Operations and QHSE, during the inauguration.

About Hikal:
Hikal is a reliable long-term outsourcing partner to companies in the Crop Protection Products, Pharmaceuticals and Specialty Chemicals industry. The company has been supplying key active ingredients (AI) and intermediates, manufactured using stringent global quality standards, for it's customers in the United States, Europe and Japan. Hikal's advanced manufacturing facilities have been inspected and approved by leading global players in Crop protection and Pharmaceutical sectors. The crop protection facilities are located at Taloja and Mahad (Maharashtra). Hikal's manufacturing activities are supported by state-of-the-art research centers and pilot plant facilities located at Bangalore and Taloja respectively. The API and pharmaceutical intermediates manufacturing facilities are situated in Jigani (Bangalore) and Panoli (Gujarat) respectively.

About Bayer Crop Science AG, Germany:
Bayer CropScience AG, a subsidiary of Bayer AG with annual sales of EUR 5.8 billion (2007), is one of the world's leading innovative crop science companies in the areas of crop protection, non-agricultural pest control, seeds and plant biotechnology. The company offers an outstanding range of products and extensive service backup for modern, sustainable agriculture and for non-agricultural applications. Bayer CropScience has a global workforce of about 17,800 and is represented in more than 120 countries.