Monsanto’s board of directors has approved an investment of $975 million to expand production of dicamba benzoic acid herbicide at its Luling site in Louisiana, USA. The additional capacity should be available from mid-2019, when it is expected to supply 25-35% of demand for dicamba, a key component of the company’s Roundup Ready Xtend Crop System.

The weed management system is expected to launch across the US, Brazil, southern Latin America and other world areas during the next decade. Xtend, part of a new wave of crop technology designed to deal with herbicide-resistant weeds, is currently pending regulatory approvals for its component products.

Monsanto said ensuring an adequate and cost-effective supply of dicamba chemistry is critical to successfully meeting growing customer demand which could represent 250 million acres of farmland opportunity across the Americas.

The US agrochemicals giant expects to hire another 100 full-time employees as a result of the expansion, which will also see the creation of 450 new indirect jobs in Louisiana.