Imminent Mandate by the Republic of Turkey to DNA-Tag Fertilizer Expected to Drive Demand for DNA-Tagged Fertilizers; Company...
December 05 2017 - 12:10AM
Business Wire
Demand Driven by Supply Chain Needs for Product
Purity and Security, First Country to Mandate DNA Tagging of
All Domestic Fertilizers
Applied DNA Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ: APDN; “Applied DNA”, “the
Company”), today announced that it will introduce DNA-tagged
fertilizer to Turkey and countries in West Africa and Asia
following strong interest in the use of the Company’s molecular
tagging technology to prevent fertilizer adulteration, secure
supply chains to the global farming industry and track the origin
of fertilizers used for nefarious purpose. Early planning workshops
indicate new tagged fertilizer may enter targeted markets during
early calendar 2018 and additional locations thereafter throughout
calendar 2018.
Applied DNA previously completed a pilot project for the
large-scale molecular tagging of fertilizer that was successfully
tracked through a West African supply chain. Following this
success, the Company began to determine how best to introduce
DNA-tagged fertilizer and associated authentication systems, into
new markets. According to a 2015 study by the Food and Agriculture
Organization of the United Nations, Asia is the largest consumer of
fertilizer in the world, accounting for 60% of total fertilizer
consumption.
In the Republic of Turkey, legislators have mandated DNA-tagging
of all domestically produced fertilizer by January 1, 2018, and
secure packaging, including the use of secured bar codes which
could possibly be enabled by the platform recently commercialized
through the Videojet and Applied DNA collaboration. This mandate
comes in response to a series of acts of terror that utilized
fertilizer-based explosives in Turkey in 2016. Applied DNA has been
in communication with Turkish fertilizer manufacturers since early
2016 and to the Company’s knowledge, is the only company to have
publicly demonstrated the capacity to tag fertilizer at scale and
successfully track it through all aspects of the supply chain. As
of this date, the Company has no specific orders from Turkey.
Applied DNA is also developing a method it believes will allow
detection of fertilizer tags, even after an explosion. This would
allow governments and law enforcement to track the origins of
fertilizers used in improvised explosive devices.
“The introduction of our technology platform to these additional
geographies that cumulatively represent the majority of world
demand for fertilizer is a clear demonstration of our ability to
service large commercial ecosystems,” said Dr. James Hayward,
president and CEO of Applied DNA. “From textiles to the biopharma
industry and now fertilizer, our technology platform is
increasingly being viewed by supply chain participants as strategic
to their business goals.“
Tony Benson, managing director of Applied DNA in Europe, stated,
“Tracking fertilizers in a large, complex commercial ecosystem is
an unmet demand required by farmers and governments, especially
those dependent upon their agro economies. Our solution is
practical, and readily implemented.”
Continued Mr. Benson, ”The impact of our technology and the
significant benefits to at-risk families in countries where many
people are already disadvantaged cannot be over-estimated. People
are starving and economies are suffering due to the blatant
cheating that is taking place of which there are many published
examples of fertilizers being adulterated leading to crop failures.
We are delighted and humbled to be part of a technical solution
that will positively change the wellbeing of so many people.”
About Applied DNA Sciences
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.
We make 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 toward
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.
Visit adnas.com for more information. Follow us on Twitter and
LinkedIn. Join our mailing list.
The Company’s common stock is listed on NASDAQ under the symbol
APDN, and its warrants are listed under the symbol APDNW.
Forward-Looking Statements
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
APDN. Actual results could differ materially from those projected
due to our short operating history, limited financial resources,
limited market acceptance, 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
6, 2016, and our subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q filed on
February 9, 2017, May 11, 2017, and August 10, 2017 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.
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version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20171204006254/en/
Investor:LHA Investor RelationsSanjay M. Hurry,
212-838-3777shurry@lhai.comorMedia:DGI CommCheryl
Schneider,
212-825-3210cschneider@dgicomm.comorProgram:Applied
DNA EuropeTony Benson, +1 44 (0) 7552 429341Managing
Directortony.benson@adnas.comorweb: www.adnas.comtwitter:
@APDN
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