A leading Indian research institute in New Delhi, India, today launched a multi-year project to develop a "golden mustard'' that will yield cooking oil high in beta-carotene (pro-vitamin A).

Working in partnership with Michigan State University (MSU) and Monsanto Company, the not-for-profit Tata Energy Research Institute (TERI) said successful development and adoption of the enhanced oil from "golden mustard'' has the potential of helping hundreds of thousands of children suffering from vitamin A deficiencies, particularly in northern and eastern India, where mustard oil is commonly used for food preparation and cooking.

"We have pledged to share our knowledge about agriculture to help improve food security and
nutrition in the developing world, and are pleased to join in partnership with TERI and Michigan
State on this new initiative,'' Monsanto President and Chief Executive Officer Hendrik Verfaillie
said.

Verfaillie announced on November 27, the New Monsanto Pledge which included a commitment
to bring the knowledge and advantages of all forms of agriculture to farmers in the developing
world to help improve food security and protect the environment. The company has created a
dedicated team to facilitate technology sharing and agricultural collaborations with public
institutions, non-profit groups and local industry around the world.

Recent estimates reveal that more than 18 percent of the children in India suffer some level of
vitamin A deficiency. The World Health Organization estimates approximately 250 million people
suffer significant illnesses, including vision impairment, inability to absorb proteins and nutrients,
and reduced immune function because of vitamin A deficiency.

"Biotechnology offers tremendous potential to address several of the health and nutritional
problems that India faces today. I welcome this partnership that will contribute toward alleviating
the deep-seated problem of vitamin A deficiency, especially among women and children. We
recognize that multi-party partnership is necessary to take this technology further,'' Dr. R. K.
Pachauri, Director TERI said.

In addition to technical and financial support from Monsanto, the U.S. Agency for International
Development (USAID) will also fund the effort through a grant to MSU's Agricultural
Biotechnology Support Project. MSU will collaborate with TERI and Monsanto in the adoption
and transfer of technology to produce the beta-carotene enhanced oilseed mustard plants.

"We are very pleased to be working with TERI, USAID and Monsanto to develop 'golden
mustard,' and look forward to collaborating with Indian scientists, regulators, and health and
consumer groups to disseminate the technology in a responsible manner,'' Catherine Ives,
Director, Agricultural Biotechnology Support Project, MSU.

Monsanto has been working since the mid-1990s to enhance the carotenoid levels of oilseed
crops with a focus on the accumulation of beta carotene in the seed of canola (also known as
oilseed rape). As a result, researchers have been able to achieve concentrations of beta carotene
in oil from crushed canola seed greater than currently available in any other oil or vegetable.

In March 1999, Monsanto announced it would share at no cost this gene transfer technology, and
simultaneously joined into a public and private sector partnership with USAID and the Global
Vitamin A Alliance. This current mustard project is part of fulfilling the earlier commitment.

TERI's scientists, led by Senior Fellow and Dean of Bioresources and Biotechnology Dr. Vibha
Dawan, have extensive experience in breeding improved varieties of mustard commonly cultivated
in India. The Institute's researchers will work directly with Monsanto scientists to develop high
beta-carotene mustard.

In April 2000, Monsanto also produced a draft sequence of the rice genome, the first crop
genome to be described in significant technical detail. In order to facilitate and encourage basic
research to improve rice and other crops, the data is available at no charge to the International
Rice Genome Sequencing Project (IRGSP), a ten-member consortium of rice genome sequencing
projects around the world, and is currently accessible to registered researchers through the
www.rice-research.org web site.

"These actions are all part of Monsanto's pledge to share the company's knowledge in global
agricultural research and to facilitate the use of its technologies for the common good. We hope
that these collaborations will ultimately help improve food security and protect the environment
around the world,'' Verfaillie said.

Monsanto Company, an 85 percent owned subsidiary of Pharmacia Corporation is a leading global provider of technology-based solutions and agricultural products that improve farm productivity and food quality. For more information on Monsanto, see: www.monsanto.com .

Tata Energy Research Institute (TERI) home page: http://www.teriin.org 

Michigan State University Agricultural Biotechnology Support Project (ABSP):
http://www.iia.msu.edu/absp  

US Agency for International Development (USAID): http://www.usaid.gov 

World Health Organization: http://www.who.int/nut/ 

UNICEF: http://www.unicef.org/vitamina 

Monsanto India: http://www.monsantoindia.com 

Technical Reference: Shewmaker, C., Sheehy, J., Daley, M., Colburn, S., and Ke, D.Y. (1999)
Seed-specific overexpression of phytoene synthase: increase in carotenoids and other metabolic
effects. The Plant Journal. 20(4), 401-412. 

Company news release
N3178