By Andi Anderson
Bayer, the parent company of Monsanto, has withdrawn a petition that sought countervailing duties on glyphosate imports from China. The petition was filed by Ruveon, Bayer’s glyphosate business, which argued that Chinese producers benefited from unfair pricing practices that affected domestic manufacturers.
The proposal requested significant duties on imported glyphosate products. However, the petition quickly drew criticism from agricultural organizations and farmers who feared it would increase production expenses at a time when many growers are already facing financial difficulties.
According to Ruveon, the decision to withdraw the petition came after discussions with farmers and agricultural trade groups. In a statement, the company said, “Since filing our petitions, we have engaged directly with farmers and agricultural trade associations to hear their perspectives.” Ruveon added, “Today’s decision reflects our commitment to putting farmers first and meeting their evolving needs, especially during this challenging farm economy.”
Ruveon also announced that it will continue using its current dynamic pricing approach for glyphosate-based products. The company said prices will remain linked to production and energy costs and will stay aligned with recent market trends. Ruveon noted that it will continue setting prices based on the broader glyphosate market, as it has done in the past.
Farmer organizations welcomed the withdrawal. Jed Bower, President of the National Corn Growers Association and an Ohio farmer, stated, “As we have highlighted multiple times in recent weeks and months, input costs are a top concern of growers and for good reason.” He added, “Actions like the ones Ruveon planned to take would have made an already bad situation even worse. Farmers are the ones who purchase and use these products and too often we have felt that we, the customer, are of little importance. We strongly encourage all input providers to consider the full impact of their actions on growers, who are essential to the companies’ bottom line.”
Scott Metzger, President of the American Soybean Association, also supported the decision. He said, “Ruveon’s decision reflects the value they place on farmer customers who rely on access to affordable crop protection tools to remain productive and globally competitive.”
Sam Kieffer, Chief Executive Officer of the National Association of Wheat Growers, praised the move and urged the company to maintain fair pricing. He stated, “We appreciate that Ruveon listened to farmers and made a course correction to pull back their request seeking trade barriers that would have likely increased farmers’ costs while wheat farmers are already facing the fourth straight year of losing money on every acre of wheat.” He further added, “Farmers, more than most people, understand good years and bad years; but we urge Ruveon to remember the sharp response they received from farmers in the last few weeks and refrain from extreme, upward price swings in the future. We don’t begrudge input providers for seeking a return on their investment, but we also expect fairness and transparency in the marketplace.”
Photo Credit: gettyimages-jevtic
Categories: Illinois, Rural Lifestyle