The Sumitomo Chemical Group to Integrate French Subsidiaries to Further Strengthen Crop Protection Business in Europe

Feb. 26, 2026

Sumitomo Chemical today announces that, as part of the Company’s ongoing efforts to further strengthen its crop protection business operations in Europe, it has decided to reorganize its group companies in France. Sumitomo Chemical Agro Europe S.A.S. (“SCAE”), Sumitomo Chemical’s subsidiary, will absorb Philagro Holding S.A., a French subsidiary of Sumitomo Chemical, as well as Philagro France S.A.S., Philagro Holding’s subsidiary. SCAE overseas the Sumitomo Chemical Group’s crop protection business in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, and also develops and sells crop protection products and agricultural materials in these regions. Philagro France engages in the development and sale of crop protection products in France. Following the integration, business operations under the new structure will begin on April 1, 2026.

Europe has a vast crop protection market, surpassing that of North America^*1. At the same time, as environmental regulations have been tightened in recent years, demand for biorationals^*2 has increased in the region, and those products are becoming a pillar to support Europe’s future agricultural production. In the European crop protection market, France accounts for the largest share^*3. To expand its agricultural solutions business in the country, Sumitomo Chemical acquired shares of its French subsidiary Philagro Holding in January 2025, making it a wholly-owned subsidiary, and has since been working to integrate the operations of SCAE and Philagro Holding. The integration announced today will further advance these efforts, consolidating development, sales, and administrative functions of SCAE, Philagro Holding, and Philagro France and thereby enhancing organizational efficiency and agility. Going forward, SCAE will further strengthen its sales strategy of promoting conventional crop protection products along with biorationals and other environmentally friendly products, and will also establish an operations system that can swiftly and accurately respond to evolving market needs in France. SCAE will continue to provide the same level of support and services to local producers, distributors, and business partners, and will strive to build even stronger relationships of trust with those stakeholders while it will actively pursue business expansion in France.

The Sumitomo Chemical Group will continue to leverage SCAE as the core of its operations in France and the rest of Europe, as well as in the Middle East and Africa. Furthermore, the Group remains committed to contributing to advancing regenerative agriculture and achieving a sustainable society through the development and sale of innovative, environmentally friendly crop protection products and a wide range of biorationals.

Overview of Surviving Company After Integration

Name	Sumitomo Chemical Agro Europe S.A.S.
Location	10A rue de la Voie Lactée 69370 Saint-Didier-au-Mont-d’Or, France
General Manager	Alberto Ancora
Established	June 1994
Business	Supervision of the plant protection business in Europe, Middle East, and Africa, as well as development and sale of plant protection and enhancement products and agricultural materials
Capital	EUR 3.99 million
Shares	Sumitomo Chemical: 100%

Overview of Subsidiaries Before Integration

Name	Sumitomo Chemical Agro Europe S.A.S.
Location	10A rue de la Voie Lactée 69370 Saint-Didier-au-Mont-d’Or, France
General Manager	Alberto Ancora
Established	June 1994
Business	Supervision of the plant protection business in Europe, Middle East, and Africa, as well as development and sale of plant protection and enhancement products and agricultural materials
Capital	EUR 3.99 million
Shares	Sumitomo Chemical: 100%

Name	Philagro Holding S.A.
Location	10A rue de la Voie Lactée 69370 Saint-Didier-au-Mont-d'Or, France
Chairman of the Board	Masanori Uzawa
Established	September, 1993
Business	Equity holder in Philagro France
Capital	EUR 6.10 million
Shares	Sumitomo Chemical: 100%

Name	Philagro France S.A.S.
Location	10A rue de la Voie Lactée 69370 Saint-Didier-au-Mont-d'Or, France
Chairman of the Board	Masanori Uzawa
Established	June, 1993
Business	Development and sales of plant protection and enhancement products in France
Capital	EUR 9.91 million
Shares	Philagro Holding S.A.: 100%

*1  Europe is ranked third among the largest crop protection markets in the world, after Latin America and Asia, followed by North America and the Middle East and Africa (source: The Crop Protection Industry Report, November 2025, by AgbioCrop).
*2  The Sumitomo Chemical Group defines biorationals as microbial pesticides, plant growth regulators, rhizosphere microbial products, botanical insecticides derived from natural sources, and solutions that use them to (1) protect crops from pests and diseases, (2) enhance crop quality and yield, and (3) contribute to public health and environmental health.
*3  France is ranked seventh among the major agricultural countries in the world and first in Europe (source: Market Review 2024, by AgbioCrop).

Reference

News release
Sumitomo Chemical’s Full Acquisition of Two Crop Protection Companies
Stepping Up Efforts to Further Expand its European Crop Protection Business, Exploring Business Reorganization and M&A Opportunities
January 30, 2025
https://www.sumitomo-chem.co.jp/english/news/detail/20250130e.html

Contact

Sumitomo Chemical Co., Ltd.
Corporate Communications Dept.
https://www.sumitomo-chem.co.jp/english/contact/public/