• 7 Feb, 2017
• FRESNO, CA

Jain Acquires Observant Technology – Strengthens Global Commitment to Precision Irrigation

Observant technology, capabilities and core team join global Precision Irrigation leader.

Acquisition furthers Jain’s leadership by extending field monitoring and control capabilities and enhancing data-based decision-support tools.

Jain Irrigation, Inc., (“Jain”), today announced that it has acquired the technology and core team of Australian Observant Pty Ltd, (“Observant”). Observant is a world leader in providing in-field hardware and cloud based applications for precision farm water management.The acquisition will combine Observant’s broad field monitoring and control technology with Jain’s global irrigation manufacturing and precision agriculture technology platform to provide farmers with a broad suite of capabilities to increase crop yields while, at the same time, responsibly and profitably manage limited resources.

“Technology and innovation are core focus areas for Jain” said Aric Olson, President of Jain Irrigation, Inc. “We are thrilled to have the opportunity to access the best technology in the industry with Observant, a globally recognized Ag Tech leader. The award winning Observant product line is ready to scale to the tremendous global market that the Jain company services. With Jain’s backing, farmers will have access to the best technology and the backing of a 30-year-old company with 11,000 associates.”

“In combination with our complementary products technologies from the United States, Australia, India, and Israel, we have unmatched capabilities to help farmers deliver on our promise of ‘More Crop per Drop’”, said Anil Jain, Managing Director of Jain Irrigation Systems Limited.

Observant was founded in 2003 by Simon Holmes à Court and Matthew Pryor with a mission to transform agricultural water management through the application of innovative technology with practical farm-ready solutions. As early pioneers in Ag Tech, Observant helped to establish the market that exists today for precision farm water management. With more than 5,000 connected devices in the field, and operations in Australia and the USA, Observant is recognized as a leader in the field.

"We are delighted with the opportunities this acquisition brings" said Simon Holmes à Court, co-founder and Executive Chairman of Observant. “Observant has taken a ‘no-compromise’ approach to developing and delivering farm-ready technology to help optimize agricultural input costs and increase productivity. We’re immensely proud of what we’ve built over the past 14 years and excited by where Jain will take us.”

"Precision water management is a global opportunity, and by combining our technical leadership with Jain’s global scale and reach, more farmers will have access to the technologies required to meet the food challenges of the 21st century." Matthew Pryor added.

Co-founder J. Matthew Pryor will take the role of Australian CEO and CTO. Simon Holmes à Court will continue a relationship with Observant in an advisory capacity. Fennebresque & Co. served as exclusive financial advisor and Norton Gledhill as legal advisor to Observant. Ice Miller and Corrs Chambers Westgarth provided legal advice to Jain.

About Jain Irrigation (www.jains.com, www.jainsusa.com)

Jain is a fully integrated global food / plant production company recognized by Harvard Business to be one of five global sustainability champions, and the G-20 for lifting people out of poverty. Our irrigation manufacturing capabilities include everything from behind the pump to the flush valve at the end of the lateral and everything in between including drip irrigation. We lead the industry in manufacturing technology, owning both our extrusion and mold manufacturing equipment providers. Jain leads plant science research globally across a variety of food crops and is staffed with some of the world’s leading research scientists. With the Gandhi Library, Jain now houses the leading collection of the world’s best plant science knowledge in a single facility. Our agronomic knowledge is integrated from our world class tissue culture operations through our food processing businesses. We research, educate, advance, manufacture, finance, propagate plants, and purchase produce for processing all in an effort to fulfill the Jain mission, “leave this world better than you found it.”

DISCLAIMER

The information in this release has been included in good faith and is for general purposes only. It should not be relied upon for any specific purpose and no representation or warranty is given as regards to its accuracy or completeness. No information in this press release shall constitute an invitation to invest in Jain Irrigation Systems Limited. Neither Jain Irrigation Systems Limited, nor their or their affiliates’ officers, employees or agents shall be liable for any loss, damage or expense arising out of any action taken on the basis of this release, including, without limitation, any loss of profit, indirect, incidental or consequential loss.