Hayward, California
April 11,  2001

Mendel Biotechnology, Inc. and Seminis, Inc. (Nasdaq: SMNS - news) announced today receipt of a $4.2 million matching grant from the Advanced Technology Program of the National Institute of Standards and Technology. This grant is for development of novel genomics tools to produce new agricultural crops with high-value traits. Based on proprietary technology discovered by Mendel scientists, these tools will make it possible for plant breeders to conduct functional genomics in commercial crops through the simple process of making traditional crosses between plants. 

Mendel and Seminis will work together to develop this innovative technology to create improved traits in plants, starting with improvements in tomato.

"Mendel is pleased to join Seminis as recipient of this prestigious grant,'' said Dave Summa, President and CEO of Mendel. "This grant will fund development of technology that significantly
improves plant functional genomics. With this technology, not only can we conduct gene discovery directly in commercial crops, skipping work in model systems, we can also generate very large numbers of promoter-gene combinations inexpensively and fast. Our industry needs new tools to increase the speed of discovery, shorten development timelines, and reduce development risk, all at a lower cost. This technology does exactly that.''

Ed Green Ph.D, Senior Vice President of R&D at Seminis concurred. "When this technology is fully developed we expect it will significantly reduce the costs and time needed to develop new varieties of crops with improved agronomic and nutritional characteristics. These tools promise to make biotechnology more available to seed producers, and will benefit both farmers and consumers.''

"While Seminis' near-term success relies on traditionally developed products, the company firmly
believes that this technology and research will be a cornerstone of our long-term capabilities and
growth potential,'' added Dr. Green.

The Advanced Technology Program provides cost-shared funding to industry for high-risk R&D
projects with the potential to spark important, broad-based economic benefits for the United States. ATP support significantly accelerates potentially important R&D projects that industry on its own can not fully support because of the technical risks involved. ATP awards are made on the basis of a rigorous competitive review considering scientific and technical merit of each proposal and its potential benefits to the U.S. economy. The program is managed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, an agency of the Commerce Department's Technology Administration. For more information about the Advanced Technology Program, visit: www.atp.nist.gov. 

Mendel Biotechnology, Inc. is a pioneer in the application of functional genomics to the study of plant genes. Nature already produces a rich diversity of plant-derived products that provide much of the world's food, feed, fiber and fine chemicals. Functional genomics seeks the genetic keys to unlock this diversity. Mendel's business objective is to discover and characterize the function of important plant genes and to develop and commercialize high-value products based on these discoveries. These products will benefit customers in agriculture, healthcare, specialty ingredient, forestry and horticulture markets. Mendel has a growing collection of the most valuable genes in the plant kingdom, and is pioneering new technologies to bring these discoveries to markets globally. For more information, visit: www.mendelbio.com. 

Seminis, Inc. is the largest developer, producer and marketer of vegetable seeds in the world. The
company uses seeds as the delivery vehicle for innovative agricultural technology. Its products are
designed to reduce the need for agricultural chemicals, increase crop yield, reduce spoilage, offer
longer shelf life, create better tasting foods and foods with better nutritional content. Seminis has
established a worldwide presence and global distribution network that spans 120 countries. Seminis is a majority owned subsidiary of Savia (NYSE: VAI - news), a Mexico-based conglomerate with leadership positions in financial services, packaging and fresh foods. 

Company news release
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