Certis USA News Release

New Crop Protection Company Created—Certis USA
With Mitsui Purchase of Thermo Trilogy Corporation

NEW YORK, April 30 —Mitsui & Co. Ltd. (NasdaqNM: MITSY) of Japan today, through a wholly owned subsidiary, entered the U.S. crop protection market and expanded its global Agri-Science operation by completing the purchase of Thermo Trilogy Corporation assets from Thermo Electron Corporation.

The new company is called Certis USA. It is a leading manufacturer of environmentally friendly crop protection products.

"This important acquisition furthers our goal of becoming a leading supplier of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) solutions for high-value specialty crops," said Osamu Noda, general manager of Agri Sciences for Mitsui.

The acquisition includes production facilities in Wasco, CA, Decatur, IL and Cardiff, UK. Certis headquarters will remain in Columbia, MD.

Annual sales of the new Certis operation are approximately $30 million. It is a leading producer of foliar Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) bioinsecticides, neem-based botanical biopesticides, and beneficial viruses, nematodes and pheromones. It has a major presence in the vegetable, tree fruit, nut, grape, citrus and mushroom markets, for both conventionally and organically grown crops.

The company’s products are sold under the brands Agree®, Deliver®, Javelin®, Thuricide®, and Teknar® Bt bioinsecticides; Azatin® and Neemix® botantical insect growth regulators; Trilogy® botanical fungicide/miticide; and BioVector® insecticidal nematode.

Japan’s largest trading company, Mitsui has worldwide annual sales of $130 billion and operates diversified businesses in more than 90 countries. Global crop protection sales now approach $400 million annually. Mitsui markets and distributes an array of crop protection products and services directly and through its European, Japanese, African and now U.S. marketing subsidiaries.

Safe Harbor Statement

This news release may contain forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. A full discussion of the company's operations and financial condition, including factors that may affect its business and future prospects is contained in documents that the company files with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), such as its annual report on forms 10-K

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