WASHINGTON (Reuters) - German drug and crop chemical maker Bayer (DE:BAYGN) AG's bid to buy seed and chemical company Monsanto (NYSE:MON) Co is on track to win U.S. antitrust approval by the end of May, unless there is a last-minute complication, a source familiar with the matter said on Thursday.
The transaction, if it closes as seems likely, will create a company commanding more than a quarter of the combined world market for seeds and pesticides in the fast-consolidating farm supplies industry.