Syngenta Seeds announced today that Dan Burdett has been named Head of Vegetables for North America, effective March 1, 2004. Burdett succeeds John Sorenson who is the current Global Head of Corn and Soya for Syngenta Seeds.

The Syngenta Seeds Vegetables business in North America markets ROGERS® brand vegetable seeds to commercial growers, processors and wholesalers throughout the Americas. In addition to fulfilling his responsibilities at Syngenta Seeds, Burdett will be a member of the board of directors for Dulcinea Farms, LLC. Dulcinea Farms is a Syngenta and Tanimura & Antle joint venture committed to delivering premium quality produce to consumers.

"Burdett brings a strong blend of sales, marketing and business management knowledge, along with a firm understanding of the produce value chain," said André Goig, Global Head of Vegetables. "The Vegetables group has solid fundamentals, broad and deep talent, strong performance, and promising growth prospects. Burdett and his management team will build on this foundation as they lead Vegetables NAFTA to its next level of growth."

Throughout his 25-year career in the agriculture industry, Burdett held numerous management positions. In the 1990s, Burdett led the commercial growth of Garst Seed Company. He was most recently Director of Sales and Marketing at EDEN Bioscience, a plant health technology company in the Seattle area.

Burdett holds a Bachelor of Science degree in agriculture from Ohio State University.

Syngenta is a world-leading agribusiness committed to sustainable agriculture through innovative research and technology. The company is a leader in crop protection, and ranks third in the high-value commercial seeds market. Sales in 2003 were approximately $6.6 billion. Syngenta employs some19,000 people in over 90 countries. Syngenta is listed on the Swiss stock exchange (SYNN) and in New York (SYT).