Certis USA to Market Basamid Soil Fumigant; The Non-Ozone Depleting Soil Fumigant is an Alternative to Methyl Bromide

COLUMBIA, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 18, 2003--Basamid(R) soil fumigant is now available for use in golf course renovation and landscape maintenance in North America from Certis U.S.A. L.L.C. Basamid is used prior to turfgrass installation to control weeds, harmful bacteria and fungi (soil-borne diseases), nematodes and soil-dwelling insect pests. Dazomet, the active ingredient of Basamid, has no impact on the ozone making it an ideal alternative to methyl bromide which is currently being phased out worldwide due to its effect on the ozone layer. Certis USA anticipates expanding the Basamid registration to include agricultural crops during calendar year 2005 in preparation for the 2006 application season.

Since 1963 Basamid has been a product of BASF Aktiengesellschaft of Ludwigshafen, Germany. Recently BASF sold its global soil treatment business to Kanesho Soil Treatment SPRL of Brussels, Belgium. Kanesho Soil Treatment has granted the North American distribution rights for Basamid to Certis USA. Although the Kanesho Soil Treatment purchase includes multiple products, Basamid is the only product Certis USA will add to its product line. BASF will continue to manufacture dazomet at its Ludwigshafen site under a long-term agreement.

“Basamid is a quality product that is more valuable today than ever. It's highly effective, and its granular formulation allows for safer handling, safer application and lower risk for movement to non-target areas.”

Soil treatment is a chemical strategy used independently or in conjunction with cultural and physical methods to control and reduce populations of weeds, soil-borne diseases and organisms. Fumigants are usually incorporated into the soil where the active ingredients perform as a vapor. Soil fumigants are used in golf course renovation, turf, agriculture, horticulture, nurseries and forestry where soil-borne pests can harm or devastate desirable plants.

Certis USA President and CEO Dennis Banasiak said, "Basamid is a quality product that is more valuable today than ever. It's highly effective, and its granular formulation allows for safer handling, safer application and lower risk for movement to non-target areas."

Headquartered in Columbia, MD, Certis USA manufactures and distributes crop protection products that fill specialty niches in the horticultural and agricultural markets. Certis USA product brands include: Agree(R), Condor(R), CryMax(R), Deliver(R), Javelin(R), Lepinox(R) and Raven(R) bioinsecticides; Azatin(R) and Neemix(R) botanical insect growth regulators; Triact(R) and Trilogy(R) botanical fungicide/miticides; BioVector(R) and Millenium(R) insecticidal nematodes; Soilgard(R) microbial fungicide; Cyd-X(R), GemStar(R) and Spod-X(R) insecticidal viruses; 3M sprayable pheromones; and now Basamid soil fumigant. Certis USA is a subsidiary of Mitsui & Co., Ltd., Japan's largest trading company. Mitsui has worldwide annual sales of $130 billion through diversified businesses in more than 90 countries. Mitsui also markets and distributes crop protection products and services directly and through its marketing subsidiaries in Europe, Japan, Africa and the U.S. Its global crop protection sales exceed $500 million annually.

Note: A digital copy of this release is available at www.certisusa.com