The giant seed company Monsanto will close three research and development centers, in Wisconsin, Connecticut and North Carolina, this year in a cost-cutting move, reports Reuters. About 90 jobs will be eliminated. The Wisconsin and Connecticut facilities focus on seed trait development. The North Carolina facility works on plant screening and phenotyping. Earlier this month, the St. Louis-based company announced plans to cut 2,600 jobs. The company has 22,500 employees and 400 facilities worldwide.
Analysts told Bloomberg that agrochemical company Syngenta could become “a consolidator” amid a restructuring of seed and chemical companies. Dow Chemical is considering the sale of its seed and farm chemical business and DuPont is “increasingly seen as a breakup candidate,” said Bloomberg. Syngenta rejected a $47 billion bid from Monsanto for a merger in April. Bloomberg quoted Dow chief executive Andrew Liveris as saying he expected deals in the sector as “everyone is talking to everyone.” Monsanto chief Hugh Grant said consolidation was “inevitable.”