Krungsri turns bullish on agriculture sector, top picks for El Niño theme: TVO, STA, NER

FMC Corporation has submitted a regulatory dossier for rimisoxafen to Brazilian authorities, the second global regulatory submission for the herbicide after its filing with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in July 2026. Brazil is one of the world's largest soybean and corn producers, with more than 50 million hectares of soybeans and more than 20 million hectares of corn under cultivation, where growers are increasingly battling resistant broadleaf weeds including Amaranthus hybridus and Amaranthus palmeri. The Herbicide Resistance Action Committee classified rimisoxafen under Groups 12 and 32, and as the first dual mode of action herbicide its field testing has shown consistent activity against small-seeded broadleaf weeds, including those resistant to other herbicides. Rimisoxafen is the third novel herbicide active ingredient FMC has advanced to regulatory submission in Brazil, following Isoflex and Dodhylex, though it remains subject to regulatory review and approval and is not currently registered for sale or use in Brazil or any other country. FMC shares have slumped 72.6% in the past year compared with the industry's 10% growth in the same period.

Sumitomo Mitsui Banking announced on the 25th that it will expand lending for corporate spending on disaster prevention and climate change measures. As natural disasters caused by climate change, such as heavy rain and floods, increase, the bank aims to support investment in flood-proofing buildings, installing emergency power sources, river improvement, cooling equipment, and developing crops suited to climate change. The bank became the first Japanese financial institution to obtain an opinion from the UK-based nonprofit Climate Bonds Initiative, which promotes such investment, stating that its sustainable finance framework conforms to international standards. This makes it easier for companies to show investors that they are working on disaster prevention and climate change measures if they receive loans through the bank's framework. It also signed a memorandum with the Climate Bonds Initiative together with SMBC Nikko Securities to share knowledge on climate-related standards and evaluation methods and expand the supply of funds to the disaster prevention field. Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group aims to handle 50 trillion yen in sustainable finance by fiscal 2029.

Vylor, the advanced seed and genetics company spinning off from Corteva on October 1, 2026, and Belgium-based Rainbow Crops, a spin-off from VIB, announced a collaboration to develop new corn traits using artificial intelligence and multiplex gene editing. Under the partnership, both companies will use Rainbow Crops' AI-supported Trait Foundry technology to accelerate development of corn hybrids more resilient to extreme weather such as heat, drought and floods, combining the platform with Vylor's gene editing expertise. Mat Muller, who will lead Vylor Edge, Vylor's investment platform, said the AI-enabled multiplex gene editing capabilities will allow hundreds of gene edits simultaneously, with performance validated in phenotyping facilities and field trials. Giacomo Bastianelli, CEO and co-founder of Rainbow Crops, said early corn work has been an important proof point for the Trait Foundry platform. The collaboration follows the European Parliament's passage on 17 June 2026 of legislation allowing gene-edited plants to be imported and cultivated across the European Union, and comes after Corteva, through its Corteva Catalyst investment platform, participated in Rainbow Crops' recently closed €9.7 million seed financing round, an investment that will become part of the Vylor Edge portfolio upon the separation.