Agria Appoints John Layburn as Chief Strategy and Compliance Officer


BEIJING--(Marketwire - October 26, 2009) - Agria Corporation (NYSE: GRO) (the "Company" or "Agria") today announced the appointment of John Layburn as Chief Strategy and Compliance Officer, effective October 23. John will be responsible for leading Agria's teams in the areas of establishing and implementing corporate strategy and compliance policies and processes. He will report to Mr. Xie Tao, the Company's Chief Executive Officer.

Xie Tao, Agria's Chief Executive Officer, commented, "While at PricewaterhouseCoopers, John was a key member of its China Advisory practice, which I led before joining Agria. I can personally attest to his depth of experience, professional skills and knowledge base. I am very pleased that he has agreed to join Agria at this important juncture of Agria's development."

Prior to joining Agria, John Layburn worked for PricewaterhouseCoopers ("PwC"), the international accounting and consulting firm, for eleven years. He was initially based out of PwC's London office, followed by four years in the company's Beijing office. John has served a wide range of clients ranging from large multi-national companies to entrepreneurial investors advising on strategic reviews, turnaround situations, and investment and divestment processes. While in China, he has specialised in advising both multinational companies on their business activities in China and Chinese companies on their overseas operations. John holds a masters degree in mathematics from Oxford University.

About Agria Corporation

Agria Corporation (NYSE: GRO) is an innovative China-based agri-solutions provider focusing on research and development, production and distribution of three different types of upstream agricultural products. Its diversified portfolio of products comprises corn seeds, sheep breeding and seedlings, including proprietary products. For more information about Agria Corporation, please visit www.agriacorp.com.

Safe Harbor Statement:

This announcement contains forward-looking statements. These statements are made under the "safe harbor" provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as "will," "expects," "anticipates," "future," "intends," "plans," "believes," "estimates," "confident" and similar statements. Agria may also make written or oral forward-looking statements in its periodic reports to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Forms 20-F and 6-K, etc., in its annual report to shareholders, in press releases and other written materials and in oral statements made by its officers, directors or employees to third parties. Statements that are not historical facts, including statements about Agria's beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties. A number of important factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement. Potential risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, those risks outlined in Agria's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. All information provided in this press release is as of the date of this announcement unless otherwise stated, and Agria does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement, except as required under applicable law.

Contact Information: Contacts: In China: John Layburn Chief Strategy and Compliance Officer China Tel: 86-10-8438 1031 john.layburn@agriacorp.com In the U.S.: David Pasquale Senior Vice President U.S. Tel: +914-337-1117 david.pasquale@agriacorp.com