Merger talks between Monsanto and Bayer AG are advancing after a series of meetings in which the companies have addressed issues including the purchase price and a termination fee, according to Bloomberg News. Sources close to the talks say a deal could be reached in the next two weeks. Bayer CEO Werner Baumann and Monsanto CEO Hugh Grant have held “constructive meetings” in recent weeks, but Bloomberg said its sources caution that negotiations “could still fall apart or be delayed”. Any potential merger between the two would likely face fierce antitrust approval. Any Bayer-Monsanto deal would follow two other billion-dollar acquisitions in the agricultural industry, ChemChina’s $43 billion takeover of Syngenta AG and Dow Chemical’s merger with DuPont to create the world’s biggest chemical company. St. Louis, Missouri-based Monsanto rejected Bayer’s previous two attempts to acquire Monsanto.
From the National Association of Farm Broadcasting news service.