Monsanto India (MIL), a subsidiary of Monsanto, USA, manufactures agro chemicals and hybrid seeds. It also markets Avadex, a herbicide used on wheat crops. The company acquired the entire share capital of Monsanto Technologies India, a subsidiary of the parent company. Monsanto Technologies India (MTIL) prodcues and sells chemicals and hybrid seeds, research, production, processing and marketing of corn and sunflower hybrid seeds. The company has a chemical production unit at Silvassa, hybrid seeds units at Bellary and Eluru and a packing unit at Guwahati. MIL`s hybrids account for more than 50 per cent of the corn grown on irrigated land, while in the rain-fed kharif market it has less than 10 per cent of the market. In 2004-05, the company expanded its corn drying facility at Bellary, Karnataka to meet the increased demand of gas dried seeds in local as well as in international markets. Its main thrust lies in bringing quality corn hybrids to the market and helping farmers move from open pollinated variety (OPV) and low value hybrids (LVH) to high value hybrids (HVH). It has undertaken Project HOPE that targets the OPV and LVH areas for conversion to Monsanto`s mid-priced and premium hybrids. Project LINK brings together farmers, corn buyers/traders, users, feed millers, feed companies and Monsanto. Project SHIFT aims at crop conversion with its launch in kharif 2004 through expansion of seed business.