New Order Helps Applied DNA to Secure International Fertilizer Supply Chains
STONY BROOK, N.Y. and MOUSTIER, BE. March 23, 2018 – Applied DNA Sciences, Inc., (NASDAQ: APDN) (“Applied DNA” or “the Company,” NASDAQ: APDN), announced that it has fulfilled an order for the Company’s SigNature® molecular tags to track granular fertilizer destined for delivery by Rosier S.A. to Turkey and several African countries. This initial commercial order follows last year’s successful pilots, where tagged fertilizer was tracked throughout a supply chain in Africa, and successfully authenticated in the field in front of government officials, agricultural industry players and institutional bankers.
Applied DNA’s SigNify® in-field testing system is used at the factory to test the tagged fertilizer for outbound quality control. The same system can be used at any point in the supply chain for authentication, without the need for formal laboratory analysis.
Dr. James Hayward, president and CEO of Applied DNA stated, “This initial order is the latest demonstration of our continuing ability to monetize our deep DNA expertise in securing global supply chains to drive top-line growth. The mitigation of fertilizer dilution is a pervasive, global imperative, to which we believe we have the right solution and the right partner in Rosier to address.”
“Rosier plans to lead the fertilizer industry by providing innovative technology giving environmental, economic and social benefits to our various stakeholders. We believe utilizing SigNature DNA is a key step forward in securing supply chains in the regions where we conduct business,” commented Mark Schulz, Business Manager, Rosier Group.
Willy Raymaekers, CEO Rosier Group, adds “Applying DNA to our fertilizers is an excellent and very practical example of Borealis and Rosier high ethical standards. Applying this technology to our fertilizers gives ‘smart fertilization’ a new and important meaning.”
“With the ongoing adulteration of fertilizer, the benefits of molecular tagging for fertilizer manufacturers and farmers are obvious. Products are delivered without the risk of dilution, and the resulting lower crop yields and risks of local malnutrition. More importantly, the opportunity to divert high nitrates to explosive devices is greatly curtailed. Beyond the immediate beneficiaries, there are additional stakeholders that can also benefit from tagged fertilizer, including those governments who may expect a positive impact on GDP ensuring any subsidies to farmers for fertilizer have the desired impact and Banks who provide loans to farmers for the purchase of fertilizers,” stated Tony Benson, Managing Director of Applied DNA for EMEA.
Dr. Hayward continued: “Having just returned from a visit with users and potential users of our technologies throughout Turkey, I am humbled to have seen, firsthand, the potential benefits of our technologies to the farmers, their families, the agricultural industry and to the safety of the Turkish people. We have filed U.S. and international patent applications addressing our proprietary methods to tag, test and track fertilizer products, prevent fertilizer diversion, to quantify fertilizer dilution, and even to recover fertilizer DNA-tags from the environment after fertilizer application, whether the tagged fertilizer was applied to enhance crop yields or to disrupt society.”
In addition to its engagement with Rosier in Turkey, Applied DNA’s SigNature® DNA is used within textile supply chains, with a significant quantity of American cotton returning to US retailers from Turkish manufacturers, who are known for their superb textile manufacturing skills.
Rosier produces and sells high quality mineral fertilizers in Europe, through its exclusive distributor Borealis LAT, and outside Europe to serve its customers in the most reliable way. We provide farmers with suitable fertilizers considering individual crop and soil conditions. Embedded in the Base Chemicals business of Borealis, our aim is to strengthen our position in selected markets worldwide. With a highly motivated and professional team, we are close to our customers in agriculture. Our backward and forward integration result in supply security as well as high product and service standards.
Thanks to perfectly adapted and state-of-the-art industrial facilities, Rosier is able to offer environmentally friendly products that provide users with the best economical yield they can get. The ROSAFERT® range primarily comprises simple and compound PK and NPK granulated fertilizers; Specialty fertilisers from the ROSALIQ® and ROSASOL® ranges are essentially designed for the greenhouse, foliar complementary nutrition or fertirrigation markets.
Applied DNA is a provider of molecular technologies that enable supply chain security, anti-counterfeiting and anti-theft technology, product genotyping and DNA mass production for diagnostics and therapeutics.
Applied DNA makes life real and safe by providing innovative, molecular-based technology solutions and services that can help protect products, brands, entire supply chains, and intellectual property of companies, governments and consumers from theft, counterfeiting, fraud and diversion. The proprietary DNA-based “CertainT®” platform can be used to identify, tag, test, and track products, to help assure authenticity, origin, traceability, sustainability and quality of products.
SigNature® DNA describes the core technology ingredient that is at the heart of a family of uncopiable, security and authentication solutions such as SigNature®T and fiberTyping®, targeted towards textiles and apparel, BackTrac® and DNAnet®, for anti-theft and loss prevention, and digitalDNA®, providing powerful track-and-trace. All provide a forensic chain of evidence, and can be used to prosecute perpetrators. Applied DNA Sciences is also engaged in the large-scale production of specific DNA sequences using the polymerase chain reaction.
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The statements made by Applied DNA in this press release may be “forward-looking” in nature within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements describe Applied DNA’s future plans, projections, strategies and expectations, and are based on assumptions and involve a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the control of Applied DNA. Actual results could differ materially from those projected due to our lack of significant revenues, limited financial resources, limited market acceptance, history of net losses, market competition and various other factors detailed from time to time in Applied DNA’s SEC reports and filings, including our Annual Report on Form 10-K filed on December 28, 2017 and our subsequent quarterly report on Form 10-Q filed on February 8, 2018, which are available at www.sec.gov. Applied DNA undertakes no obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statements to reflect new information, events or circumstances after the date hereof to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, unless otherwise required by law.
Investor contact: Sanjay M. Hurry, LHA Investor Relations, 212-838-3777, shurry@lhai.com
media contact: Cheryl Schneider, Dian Griesel Int’l, 212-825-3210, cschneider@dgicomm.com
program contact: Tony Benson, Managing Director, Applied DNA Europe, 44 (0) 7552 429341 tony.benson@adnas.com
web: www.adnas.com | www.borealisgroup.com | www.rosier.eu
twitter: @APDN
