The increasingly important agribusiness side of DuPont is moving into the role of a number-crunching service provider.
DuPont President James C. Borel recently outlined growth drivers across the seed, crop protection and nutrition and health businesses at the Bank of America Merrill Lynch 2014 Global Agriculture Conference.
In 2013, DuPont’s Agriculture and Nutrition & Health segments comprised more than 40 percent of company sales and segment operating earnings, he noted.
“Our agriculture research pipeline, strong positions in global markets and today’s launch of a new suite of whole-farm solutions continue to demonstrate our commitment to innovate and deliver valuable agriculture and food solutions,” Borel said.
DuPont has launched Encirca services, a suite of farm decision services to help improve productivity and profitability of operations delivered through certified agents. DuPont says the business could grow to half a billion dollars a year or more in revenue.
Encirca View will be the first offering to launch under the Encirca services brand umbrella this month. Growers will have the option of signing up for a free mobile-enabled information platform that organizes crop observations and notes and provides access to Pioneer advisors; or opting for a premium fee-based program which also includes market news and analysis, innovative grain trading capabilities and field specific weather forecasts.
DuPont Pioneer will release Encira Yield later this year – a fee-based offering that will help growers effectively assess, plan and analyze seed, nitrogen/fertility and water to improve placement and management.
In the next decade, Encirca services are estimated to deliver a peak revenue stream of more than $500 million annually for Pioneer. Additional services will be rolled out under the EncircaSM services brand in 2015 and beyond.
“DuPont has an important role to play in helping the world meet the challenge of feeding a growing population,” said Borel. “As a leader in sustainable agricultural productivity, animal and human nutrition, and food protection solutions, we are focused on delivering superior value to growers and food companies while shaping global agricultural and food systems for all stakeholders.”
Over the next five years, about half of the DuPont Agriculture segment growth is expected to occur outside of North America. He went on to outline success stories with Pioneer seeds as well as insect, weed and disease control products.
