Zwijnaarde, Belgium and, Manila, Philippines
26 November, 2009

Devgen (Euronext Brussels; DEVG) and Leads Agri today announced the launch of the first Devgen hybrid rice seed product Masuwerte™ for the Philippines. Masuwerte™ is a high yielding long grain hybrid rice, with a good aroma.

The product is a Philippine-bred hybrid rice well suited to the South-East Asian climate, local agricultural practices and to the requirements of the Filipino farmers and consumers. The Philippines cultivate rice on about 4.4 million Ha of which an estimated 5% is covered with hybrid rice.

As communicated earlier, the Devgen product will be exclusively distributed by Leads Agri. Devgen further strengthened its own team in the Philippines and invested in the training and education for sales support, production and R&D.

"We are very pleased to announce the launch of our first product for the Philippines. This is a major step forward in the execution of our business plan", says Thierry Bogaert, CEO of Devgen, "Furthermore, it is a pleasure to work with our partner Leads Agri. They bring the necessary experience with the Philippine market and share our philosophy of building a strong relationship with the farmer."

Mr. Fernando B. Malveda, President/CEO of Leads Agri says "It is always best to work with a company with strong adherence to quality especially with hybrid seeds. We are glad to have Devgen as partner towards a common goal of enabling the Filipino farmers to have a sustainable, high quality and profitable rice production. "

Masuwerte™ will be sold and promoted under Devgen's "Frontline" brand name.

About Leads Agri

Leads Agricultural Products Corporation is engaged in importation and distribution of crop protection products, such as but not limited to pesticides and foliar fertilizers. It is a 100% Filipino-owned company established in 1997 and has incessantly competed with global conglomerates. Today, Leads Agri has emerged as one of the leading agrochemical companies in the Philippines pursuing its corporate slogan "Understanding the Filipino Farmer . Better!"

About Devgen
Devgen's mission is to enable farmers to sustainably grow more food on less land, with less water, agrochemicals and labor.
Devgen uses advanced biotechnology and molecular breeding technology to make high yielding seeds and crop protection solutions with a superior environmental profile.
Devgen brings this technology to the market in the world's major food and feed crops through two complementary strategies:
- licensing Devgen technology for use in corn, cotton and soy and selected other crops in exchange for R&D funding, and milestone and royalty payments;
- producing and selling its premium hybrid seeds in major field crops such as rice, sunflower, sorghum, and pearl millet, in the Indian subcontinent and S.E. Asia.
In its Crop Protection unit, Devgen developed and has taken to market a novel nematicide, an agro-chemical product that protects crops from damage by parasitic nematodes.
Incorporated in 1997, Devgen has offices in Ghent (Belgium), Singapore, Hyderabad (India) (US) and Delaware and employs more than 200 people

Website: http://www.devgen.com

Published: November 26, 2009