NEWS RELEASE, 11/23/98 Statements from California Agriculture in Support of the UC Berkeley-NADI Research Agreement

BERKELEY -- California's agricultural community has praised the research agreement between the University of California, Berkeley and the Novartis Agricultural Discovery Institute, Inc. "This is a unique opportunity for California agriculture. Because the university is a public institution, farmers will have better and more cost-effective access to agricultural biotechnology." -Thomas F. DiMare, former chair of the Western Growers Association and the California Tomato Board "I strongly support this alliance. It ensures that a small group of large agribusiness concerns are not the sole proprietors of major advances in plant and microbial research. The big winners here are California farmers and the public." - Stuart P. Woolf, Chairman of the California League of Food Processors "The day of the ivory tower is over. I support the notion that the university is seeking funding by those who have the most to gain from, and have historically paid the least for, such research. This alliance isn't just a win/win. Novartis, the university, students, taxpayers and farmers all come out ahead." -Phil Larson, Fresno County Farm Bureau President