Mumbai: United Phosphorus Ltd has acquired the global propanil herbicide business of Dow AgroSciences LLC, the company said in a filing with the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE).

Under the deal, the company and its subsidiaries throughout the world can start selling propanil and its formulations immediately. Propanil had a total turnover of $18.9 million in 2005. The total cost of the acquisition is about $25 million, including inventories.

Marketed as Stam, propanil is a selective, post-emergence foliar applied, non-residual herbicide for the control of many important annual grasses, broadleaf and sedge weeds used in rice. It is a global product with more than 100 registrations in over 30 countries in North America, Latin America, Europe, Africa and Asia / Pacific.

This purchase will further strengthen United Phosphorous's position in the rice herbicide segment and allows Dow AgroSciences to focus resources on priority molecules.

United Phosphorous is the largest Indian agrochemicals company and is engaged in research, manufacturing and distribution of agrochemicals and chemicals across the globe. The group had revenues of about $410 million for the year ended March 2006.

The company had, on November 14 announced the acquisition of Cerexagri from Arkema. (See: ) It had also acquired the bensulfuron-methyl business, a rice and aquatic herbicide from DuPont, in September this year.

This is the sixth acquisition of the company in this calendar year following the acquisitions of Advanta BV, Cropserve, products from Bayer CropScience, Bensulfuron from DuPont and Cerexagri from Arkema.

With this, acquisition, United Phosphorous would become the third largest generic agrochemicals company in the world.

Dow AgroSciences LLC based in Indianapolis, Indiana, US, is a top agricultural company providing innovative crop protection, seeds, and biotechnology solutions the world over. A wholly owned subsidiary of the Dow Chemical Company, Dow AgroSciences has global sales of around $3.4 billion.