Die Syngenta-Übernahme ist bis heute der grösste chinesische Firmenkauf im Westen – doch die Erfolgsbilanz ist mager
Als die Chinesen vor zehn Jahren beim Agrochemiekonzern Syngenta anklopften, löste das in der Schweiz eine öffentliche Debatte aus. Mittlerweile haben beim Basler Unternehmen fast nur noch Manager aus China das Sagen.
In 2017, Chinese state-owned enterprise Chem China acquired the Swiss agrochemical giant Syngenta for $43 billion, making it the largest Western company purchase in China at that time. Nearly all Syngenta's management is now Chinese, with the CEO and CFO also being Chinese. The headquarters in Basel, Switzerland, now displays a small sign indicating the Swiss-based Syngenta controls a company with nearly 50,000 employees and $28 billion in annual revenue.
Despite the strong Chinese influence, the company claims the business continues normally in the United States, where farmers choose Syngenta products based on their effectiveness, not the manufacturer's nationality. However, Syngenta's revenue has stagnated, with a 7% decline in the first half of the year to $12.2 billion, despite being outperformed by competitors Bayer and Corteva in terms of revenue growth.
The decline in revenue, particularly in the seed business, is attributed to the shrinking Midwest farmland in the United States.
Written by urgent.news from NZZ Wirtschaft's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
