General Meeting on April 24, 2012, a 14 percent  increase in the dividend to CHF 8.00. Our performance in Crop Protection was  marked by strong volume growth throughout  the year and a significant improvement in pricing  in the second half. This was a consequence of  our determined action in raising prices to reflect  the value offered by our products. We also saw  further substantial growth in Seeds, with sales  surpassing US$3 billion and the EBITDA margin  exceeding the 15 percent target set in 2007,  when the margin was below 5 percent.  It is from this position of strength that we now  transition to a combined crop-based offer, which  we illustrated for the first time at our Capital  Markets Days in the UK and the USA to which  we invited investors, analysts, customers, media  and numerous other stakeholders. The events  covered our portfolios for the major crops and  fully brought to life the potential of these portfolios  as they are progressively integrated into compelling  new offers. We also presented pipelines for each  crop which together represent combined sales  potential of over US$22 billion post 2015.  The Capital Markets Days also emphasized the  global reach of our business and in particular  our long-established presence in the emerging  markets, which in 2011 represented 49 percent  of group sales, having grown at a compound  annual rate of 17 percent over the last five years.  It is in these markets that the industry growth  drivers of population and dietary change are  concentrated, and yet it is also in these markets  that the need for productivity increases is greatest.  The potential of our offer in, for example, rice and  vegetables in Asia or sugar cane and cotton in  Brazil is immense. This potential will be realized  I believe that the success of the integrated  strategy will increase Syngenta’s contribution  to global food security. I have been enormously  encouraged by the interest and excitement with  which the strategy has been received in this first  year of implementation. I would like to thank our  employees across the world for their commitment  and look forward to working with them as we  strive to realize the company’s ambition. Smallholders are at the heart of agricultural  development in the emerging markets, and  their fate will effectively determine the world’s  long-term food security. There are 450 million  small farms typically supporting five household  members each, meaning that one-third of  the world’s population directly depends on  them for part of their livelihood. The economic  development of smallholder communities  demands broad-based international cooperation  in which business also plays a critical role.  Syngenta provides not only valuable technology  but also knowledge in areas such as finance,  risk and supply chain management. This allows smallholders to progress to a point where  the sustainability of their farms gives rise to the  sustainability of their farming communities,  thereby enabling ongoing investment in  education and infrastructure.  through further investments and through a  continuing tradition of tailored offers supported  by local teams.  3.  Discussing the new  strategy with Syngenta  employees during the  Crop Demonstration  Days in Basel, Switzerland. 4.  Presenting his address  ‘Living on the Edge:  The New Norm?’ at  the World Food Prize in  Des Moines, Iowa, USA. Michael Mack  Chief Executive Officer Overview Syngenta Annual Review 2011 07 4. 3.