FMC is executing a strategy to supply end-use products containing Rynaxypyr® and Cyazypyr® actives to a broad range of companies prior to patent expiration, and in return establishing long-term purchase commitments from these companies. These arrangements may also include limited patent, data and/or trademark licenses.

FMC is developing an extensive portfolio of new diamide-containing products to address grower needs around the world. The first of these Rynaxypyr® active containing products, under the trademarks Elevest®, Vantacor®, and Altacor® eVo, were launched in the US and other countries, including Canada and Australia, starting in late 2020 through 2023 and will be launched in additional countries in 2024 onward.

Our venture capital arm, FMC Ventures, continued to build its portfolio in 2023 with new collaborations and strategic investments in start-ups and early stage companies working on new or disruptive technologies. These engagements, which support or augment our internal capabilities, span several important technology segments, including robotics, drone technology, Ag-FinTech, pathogen detection, soil health, peptides and pheromones.

As a result of the destocking conditions and the related volume pressure, we initiated a global restructuring plan during the fourth quarter of 2023, which we refer to as "Project Focus" and discuss further under the section titled "Results of Operations." Project Focus is designed to right-size our cost base and optimize our footprint and organizational structure with a focus on driving significant cost improvement and productivity.

FMC's senior management Operating Committee, which includes the Chief Executive Officer and all Company vice presidents, is responsible for review and oversight of the Company's cybersecurity programs and risk assessment as well as the strategic direction of the program to address evolving risks.

FMC has established a process to assess the nature, scope and timing of a cyber incident and communicate the facts of the incident to management and the board of directors and, if needed, investors. In the event of a cybersecurity incident, the incident response team, which is managed by IT personnel, is responsible for ensuring the Chief Executive Officer and Operating Committee are notified in a timely manner.

Our business faces competition, which could affect our ability to maintain or raise prices, successfully enter certain markets or retain our market position. Competition for our business includes not only generic suppliers of the same pesticidal active ingredients but also alternative proprietary pesticide chemistries and crop protection technologies that are bred into or applied onto seeds.

For example, drought may reduce the need for fungicides, which could result in fewer sales and greater unsold inventories in the market, whereas excessive rain could lead to increased plant disease or weed growth requiring growers to purchase and use more pesticides. Drought and/or increased temperatures may change insect pest pressures, requiring growers to use more, less, or different insecticides.

We are sensitive to regulatory risk given the need to obtain and maintain pesticide registrations in every country in which we sell our products. Moreover, we are required to comply with protocols or applicable regulatory requirements of biological products. Protocols and regulations may change, or regulatory agencies may determine that a biological product is not approvable.

These five innovation companies currently represent approximately 73 percent of the crop protection industry's global sales. The next group of agrochemical producers include UPL Ltd., Sumitomo Chemical Company Ltd., and Nufarm Ltd. FMC employs various differentiated strategies and competes with unique technologies focusing on certain crops, markets and geographies, while also being supported by a low-cost manufacturing model.

Competition from generic agrochemical producers is significant as a number of key product patents have expired in the last two decades. In general, we compete as an innovator by focusing on product development, including novel formulations, proprietary mixes, and advanced delivery systems and by acquiring or licensing (mostly) proprietary chemistries or technologies that complement our product and geographic focus.

Our product portfolio features two key diamide-class molecules – Rynaxypyr® (chlorantraniliprole) and Cyazypyr® (cyantraniliprole) actives - with combined annual revenues of approximately $1.8 billion in 2023. These two molecules are industry-leading in terms of performance, combining highly effective low dose rates with fast-acting, systemic, long residual control.

We utilize numerous vendors to supply raw materials and intermediate chemicals to support operations. These materials are sourced on a global basis to strategically balance FMC's vendor portfolio.

We have a growth strategy driven by obtaining new and improved uses for existing product lines and acquiring, accessing, developing, marketing, distributing and/or selling complementary chemistries, biologicals, and related technologies in order to strengthen our product portfolio and our capabilities to effectively service our target markets and customers.

We are committed to providing unique, differentiated products to our customers by acquiring and further developing technologies as well as investing in innovation to extend product life cycles. Our external growth efforts include product acquisitions, in-licensing of chemistries and technologies and alliances that bolster our market access, complement our existing product portfolio or provide entry into adjacent spaces.

In FMC Precision Agriculture, we are broadening our award-winning Arc™™ farm intelligence platform, a proprietary mobile solution that helps farmers better understand and manage pest pressure through predictive modeling based on real-time and historical data, entomological models, hyper-local weather information and in-field sensors.

Our venture capital arm, FMC Ventures, continued to build its portfolio in 2023 with new collaborations and strategic investments in start-ups and early stage companies working on new or disruptive technologies. These engagements, which support or augment our internal capabilities, span several important technology segments, including robotics, drone technology, Ag-FinTech, pathogen detection, soil health, peptides and pheromones.

The R&D efforts in our business focus on discovering and developing environmentally sound solutions both new active ingredients and new product formulations that meet the needs of farmers to maximize yields and control pests. We are continuously investing into our FMC Stine Research Center in Newark, Delaware, to upgrade the site infrastructure and equipment.

In February 2022, the Board of Directors authorized the repurchase of up to $1 billion of the Company's common stock. The $1 billion share repurchase program replaced in its entirety the previous authorization. In 2023, 651,052 shares were repurchased under the publicly announced repurchase program.

Projected 2024 capital expenditures and expenditures related to contract manufacturers are expected to be in the range of approximately $95 million to $105 million. The spending is mainly driven by investments for our new products. Expenditures related to contract manufacturers are included within "other investing activities".

On January 18, 2024, we paid dividends aggregating $72.5 million to our shareholders of record as of December 29, 2023. This amount is included in "Accrued and other liabilities" on the consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2023. For the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021, we paid $290.5 million, $267.5 million and $247.2 million in dividends, respectively.

FMC is committed to continuing to do its part to address climate change and its impacts on nature and communities, establishing goals related to waste, water, and net-zero emissions by 2035. FMC published its first sustainability report in 2011 and has been reporting its GHG emissions and mitigation strategy to CDP since 2016.

FMC has a SBTi-validated target of net-zero GHG emissions, which includes reductions across our entire supply chain. Therefore, we will actively work with our entire value chain – suppliers, contractors, and customers – with a goal to reduce their GHG emissions and to mitigate their potential impacts on climate change.

FMC tracks gender and racial representation as part of its recruitment, performance, and development processes to ensure equitable processes and to build a more representative leadership pipeline. Management is expected to actively support diversity initiatives for their respective geographies and business, as applicable, in order to build a more inclusive environment.

We expect 2024 revenue will be in the range of approximately $4.50 billion to $4.70 billion, up approximately 2.5 percent at the midpoint versus 2023. The increase is largely driven by growth of new products, primarily in the second half, and assumes the crop protection market is flat-to-down low-single digits as modest market growth during the second half is offset by market contraction in the first half.

Current global inflationary pressures have affected our business, primarily due to higher than normal input costs, specifically raw materials, resulting in pressure on our operating margins. Costs impacted by inflation include labor and overhead costs, costs of certain raw materials, freight and logistics costs, tolling services, and equipment costs.

The seasonal nature of the crop protection market and the geographic spread of our business can result in significant variations in quarterly earnings among geographic locations. Our products sold in the northern hemisphere (North America, Europe and parts of Asia) serve seasonal agricultural markets from March through September, generally resulting in significant earnings in the first and second quarters, and to a lesser extent in the fourth quarter.