CCI seeks comments on Dow Chemical and Du Pont merger

New Delhi: The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has sought public comments on the proposed merger between agriculture technology companies Dow Chemical Company (Dow) and E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Co. (Du Pont), according to a government press release on Wednesday.

The development was first reported by news agency Press Trust of India on 20 March.

In the press statement, CCI said that at first glance the proposed merger was “likely to have an appreciable adverse effect on competition”. Following the same, the antitrust regulator asked the companies to publish details of the merger to inform the public and those who may be impacted by it. The statement noted that the companies had disclosed the same in newspapers on 18 March.

The Commission asked any person who is affected or likely to be affected by the merger to write in his/her comments, objections or suggestions by 1 April, or 15 days from the date of publication of the details of the merger.

The two companies, with their subsidiaries, filed their notice of merger with the CCI in May 2016 to get requisite regulatory clearances.

In their merger notice to the CCI, Dow and Du Pont informed the Commission that the companies did not have any direct presence in India, it did not conduct business directly in the country and did not own any assets directly.