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In the first quarter of 2006, sales showed a year-on-year increase of EUR 790 million, or 11.8 percent, to EUR 7,494 million. After adjustment for currency effects, this was equivalent to a 6.7 percent rise. The greater part the Group’s growth was generated in North America, where sales moved ahead by EUR 396 million (+22.2 percent). Of this increase, roughly half was due to currency effects. The strongest sales growth in North America was posted by our pharmaceuticals and diagnostics activities. While currency-adjusted sales of the CropScience subgroup were roughly unchanged year on year, MaterialScience reported a 9.8 percent improvement.

First-quarter sales in Europe advanced by 6.4 percent to EUR 3,308 million, with the main impetus coming from the positive trend at HealthCare. Germany reported above-average expansion to EUR 1,197 million (+16.2 percent). Adjusted for portfolio effects, the improvement was around 11 percent in Germany and about 4 percent in Europe as a whole.

In Asia/Pacific sales rose 8.9 percent to EUR 1,130 million, with the Bayer HealthCare and Bayer MaterialScience subgroups posting the strongest gains of 12.3 percent and 9.1 percent respectively. Business in China developed particularly well (+33 percent).

In the Latin America/Africa/Middle East region, sales rose 13.3 percent to EUR 877 million. On a ­currency-adjusted basis the increase amounted to 1.8 percent. Business growth in HealthCare and MaterialScience more than offset lower sales of crop protection products.