US agriculture and nutrition specialist FMC Corporation has taken full ownership of its F&N Agro joint ventures in the Czech Republic and Slovakia from partner Nufarm. The two companies set up the two 50:50 jvs in 1997 following their joint acquisition of the crop protection distribution businesses of Agrolinz Melamin. and sold FMC, Nufarm and third-party crop protection products in their respective countries. FMC will now operate as FMC Agro Česká Republika, based in Prague, and FMC Agro Slovensko, based in Bratislava.

The move comes as the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania-based company has consolidated its commercial operations throughout Europe after the April 2015 acquisition of Denmark’s Cheminova. FMC paid around $1.8 billion for the crop protection company, which broadened its own Agricultural Solutions portfolio and gave it direct market access to key countries in Europe as well as enhancing its customer reach in India, Australia and Latin America.

"We have broadened the FMC portfolio of crop protection products through the acquisition of Cheminova while continuing to invest in our robust product development pipeline, both in new synthetic innovative patented active ingredients as well as unique biological products that are well suited for the Czech Republic and Slovakia agricultural markets," said Marc Hullebroeck, FMC’s president, Europe, Middle East and Africa. 

Earlier this month, FMC announced it was cooperating with BASF on bringing novel in-furrow crop protection products to the US corn market. The two will integrate their market-leading insect and disease protection technologies into new formulations using FMC’s patented LFR technology.