NEWS RELEASE

Valent de Mexico names César Parada general director

SAN RAMON, Calif., June 24, 2021— Valent U.S.A., a Sumitomo Chemical Company, welcomes César Parada as general director of its subsidiary Valent de Mexico, effective July 12, 2021. Parada will be based at Valent de Mexico headquarters in Guadalajara and report directly to Valent U.S.A. Executive Vice President and COO Matt Plitt.

Valent de Mexico offers a broad portfolio of agricultural products and technologies to help growers protect crops from weeds, diseases and damaging insects. As general director, Parada will oversee all operations, ensuring compliance with laws and regulations while supporting financial goals and growth strategies. He also will identify and assess new business opportunities, working closely with Jesus Tapia, who was named Valent de Mexico commercial director in January.

Parada brings extensive experience in Mexican agriculture, business management and finance. Most recently, he served as general director and CFO at Agristar, where he revitalized employee and company performance and used his M&A expertise to integrate operations and strengthen collaboration. Before that, he spent more than 18 years with Agri-Estrella, formerly Cuproquim de Mexico, a division of Helena Chemical, as executive vice president and CFO.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting, a master’s degree in business management and a doctorate in management with a concentration in M&A from the Universidad Autonoma de Chihuahua (U.A.CH.), Mexico. Parada is also a professor of finance in the MBA program at U.A.CH. and will continue serving as an adjunct instructor in accounting and management, a role he has held since 1995.

“César is a great fit for Valent,” said Plitt. “His strong financial background and demonstrated leadership will be an asset to the compliance culture we’ve built throughout the company. And his passion for teaching at his alma mater — nurturing future generations — aligns with our sustainability goals and the U.N. Sustainable Development Goal, ‘Quality Education.’”

About Valent de Mexico

Valent de Mexico is a subsidiary of Valent U.S.A., a Sumitomo Chemical Company. With more than 20 years in the market, Valent de Mexico was the first company in the Mexican crop protection industry to incorporate conventional and biorational proprietary products into its portfolio. The company is recognized for working closely with end users and distribution, offering integrated solutions and specialized products backed by strong field support for crop protection and crop production needs. Valent de Mexico is headquartered in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, with sales and technical service personnel located nationwide.

About Valent U.S.A.

Valent U.S.A., headquartered in San Ramon, California, develops and markets products in the United States, Canada and Mexico that advance sustainable agriculture, protect crops, enhance crop yields, improve food quality, beautify the environment and safeguard public health. Valent offers a broad portfolio of herbicides, insecticides, fungicides and plant growth regulators for agricultural, seed protection and professional use. The company also is a leader in marketing and sales of traditional chemical products and biorational products developed by its affiliate, Valent BioSciences LLC.

About Sumitomo Chemical Company, Limited

Sumitomo Chemical Company, Limited, headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, is one of Japan’s leading chemical companies. It offers a diverse range of products globally across petrochemicals, energy and functional materials, IT-related chemicals and materials, health and crop science products, and pharmaceuticals.