5 May 2022

1 minute read

Corteva Inc on Wednesday reported a 19.6% rise in operating earnings for the first quarter, driven by strong demand for crop protection products such as herbicides and insecticides, reported Reuters. 

A surge in prices of corn and soybean has encouraged US farmers into pre-buying seeds and chemical sprays for spring season after the Russia-Ukraine conflict disrupted supplies from key exporting regions.

Sales of the company's crop-protection products rose 23% in the quarter, boosted by strong early demand for herbicides in North America on supply concerns.

"Looking ahead, we expect healthy market fundamentals to continue given record crop prices, strong farm income levels and demand for food globally", Chief Executive Officer Chuck Magro said in a statement.

The Wilmington, Delaware-based company's net sales rose 10.12% to $4.6 billion.

Corteva said adjusted operating earnings stood at $708 million, or 97 cents per share, in the three months ended 31 March, compared with $592 million, or 79 cents per share, a year earlier.

Source: Reuters