Mayor Michael
B. The challenge ahead will be to sustain these much-needed
efforts.directenergy.
Among the local activities in 2004, the current Bayer Young Environmental
Envoys and alumni carried out a river cleaning and water analysis activity in
Shanghai's southern district of Jinshan, which was topped off with a public
campaign there to raise environmental awareness., Ltd. The company assumes no liability whatsoever to update these
forward-looking statements or to conform them to future events or developments.
Tel: +86-21-6386-8282 x200
Email: annette.

campsites uniformed

The news conference will highlight programs for homeless and low-income
youth that will be created as a result of Direct Energy's contribution .

- Teen Leadership Club, a safe after-school program targeting 13- to 18-
year -olds through teaching of youth empowerment and leadership skills.
"We are very excited to receive such generous support from a caring member
of Ohio's corporate community," said Faith. "The new programming that will
result from Direct Energy's donation targets an underserved group that holds
great potential . In 2004 six Chinese
Envoys joined Envoys from eleven countries across the globe for a week-long
visit to Bayer AG, where they learned about environmental protection and
sustainable development in the industrial sector, but also on the municipal
and state levels.

Bayer (China) Co .

Scouting is a world-wide non-formal educational movement for young people founded by Lord Robert Baden -Powell of Gilwell.

1907 modest

The Dowd Center,
administered by the Homeless Families Foundation, provides educational and
enrichment programs for homeless and at-risk children in kindergarten through
fifth grade .com . Various known and
unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material
differences between the actual future results, financial situation,
development or performance of the company and the estimates given here.

scout moral

gov. Bayer is represented in Greater China by a total of 17 companies with
11 of them being production facilities.

honors introducing

Direct Energy and COHHIO Form Partnership to Help Homeless Low-Income Ohioans

Established in 1984,
the center collects and disseminates information on environmental activities
and facilitates projects in the environmental realm.

formal philanthropy

Coleman is scheduled to be the introductory speaker at the news conference. The company also has agreed to serve as lead sponsor of the
Housing Ohio 2007 conference. They furthermore carried out
environmental education programs in a kindergarten and took part in a summer
eco-camp in Beijing and an Envoy organized winter eco-camp in Hangzhou. Besides China, other Asian countries include the Philippines,
Singapore, India , Indonesia and Korea.

Scouting aims to develop the mental, moral and physical capabilities of youth through a progressive program emphasizing outdoor activities.

honors moral

The Bayer Young Environmental Envoys program was originally initiated in
Thailand in 1995 with the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) and
carried out with Bayer sponsorship.de

Sally Geng, Corporate Communications ,
Bayer (China) Ltd.

modest patrol

About Direct Energy
Direct Energy is part of the Centrica group of companies, one of the
largest retail energy providers in North America. The North
American operations have grown to more than 5 million customer relationships. Application forms and details can
be downloaded on the Internet at http://www. Local production accounts for an
increasing proportion of sales and China has become one of Bayer's major
global investment destinations., Beijing Branch
Tel: +86-10-6597-3181 x3039
Email: sally.

stands uniformed

The funds
will enable recipients to develop their personal leadership skills in
such forums as special classes and summer camp. COHHIO will present
the first awards at its Housing Ohio 2006 conference April 24 and 25 in
Columbus.

They will participate in environmental activities
such as an eco-camp, through which an independent judging panel will select
four young people to represent China during an all-expenses paid field trip to
Bayer AG's headquarters in Leverkusen, Germany, and the Bayer International
Youth Environment Day in November 2005.

scouting scholarships

"Homelessness has long been our
philanthropic focus in other regions where we operate, including Canada and
Texas. There, we have formed long -term relationships with advocacy groups
similar to COHHIO. In Ohio, Direct Energy
serves more than 200,000 residential and commercial customers.
For more information, visit http://www.envir. Since then, Bayer has broadened the scope
of this initiative to 12 countries in Asia-Pacific, Eastern Europe and Latin
America. Securities and Exchange Commission (including
our Form 20-F).

Membership today stands at some 25 million Scouts and 10 million Guides and Girl Scouts.

Scouting is well regarded for introducing young people to environmental issues, outdoor skills, community service projects, and co-operative activities.

The Scout Motto:BE PREPARED

introducing emphasizing

Grubb Street, Columbus.sg@bayer-ag.

regarded collectibles

About COHHIO
COHHIO is a statewide advocacy group and service providers network
dedicated to ending homelessness and ensuring that all Ohioans have decent,
safe, fair, affordable housing , especially those with low-income and special
needs.bayeryoungenvoy. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Bayer AG.

uniformed prepared

These
initiatives will include:

- The Youth Empowerment Program Direct Energy Youth Initiative and
Leadership Awards. Accordingly, the
company embarked on an exhaustive search for a worthy charitable partner. Our employees eagerly support these efforts -- reflecting
their own compassion as well as the emphasis that our company places on social
responsibility .45 billion in 2004, and the company employs some 2,700 people
there.

Shanghai Environmental Education Center is an institution under the
Shanghai Environmental Protection Bureau, set up especially for the
involvement in environmental education and propagation. These
factors include those discussed in our public reports filed with the Frankfurt
Stock Exchange and with the U.

million scouting

news conference today at the recently
renovated Dowd Education Center, 33 N.
Again, the thrust is planning of service projects and events that will
enhance home communities.
Globally, the Centrica group of companies is a leading provider of energy and
other essential services with more than 34 million customer relationships. Fifteen students will be selected as Bayer
Young Environmental Envoys .

Forward-Looking Statements
This news release contains forward-looking statements based on current
assumptions and forecasts made by Bayer Group management.

philanthropy scouting

Young people involved in COHHIO's Youth Empowerment Program (YEP) also will
speak.

- Youth Leadership Camp , an intensive, week-long experience in which
homeless middle school youth learn to become active community leaders
by planning and implementing service projects in their home
communities.
COHHIO was an ideal match.S.

campsites philanthropy

"
Bill Faith, executive director of COHHIO, said the partnership with Direct
Energy aims to fill a void in programming for older homeless and low-income
youths. We hope that Direct Energy's lead will inspire other givers to join
in ensuring that young Ohioans in housing crisis continue to benefit from the
opportunities these programs offer .

For more information, please contact:

Annette Wiedenbach, Corporate Communications ,
Bayer (China) Ltd.

comprised motto

"COHHIO's advocacy on behalf of low-income and homeless people impressed
us from the beginning," Beck said.com. has once again launched the Bayer Young Environmental Envoy Program. It is planned to rotate the
participating cities in order to ensure a broad range of participants .

From its modest beginning at his experimental camp comprised of 22 youth held on Brownsea Island in August of 1907 there has developed the largest youth organization in the world.

scout emphasizing

Mike Beck, vice president of sales and marketing for Direct Energy, said
that as the company has expanded its Ohio presence in the past year, it has
aspired to give back to the state and communities it serves. Bayer has became the first private-
sector company to partner with the UNEP in environmental projects for young
people. Today,
Greater China is Bayer's second largest single market in Asia, with sales of
around EUR1.wiedenbach.aw1@bayer-ag.

Scouting is a team that works on the patrol system and as such is a uniformed organization with a Promise and Law.

operative million

In addition, Direct Energy's contribution will help fund COHHIO's
operating costs.

Seeking a Passion for the Environment - Bayer Youth Environmental Program Enters Third Year

Program Aims at Students in Shanghai, Nanjing, Hefei, Beijing and Tianjin

SHANGHAI, April 4 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- Starting in April, Bayer (China)
Ltd.

scholarships million

cn or
http: //www.
The Program was successfully launched in 2003 by Bayer and the Shanghai
Environmental Education Center (SEEC) in Shanghai, Hangzhou and Suzhou, and
expanded to include Beijing and Tianjin in 2004.

campsites introducing

m. Direct Energy will be lead sponsor of four annual
awards of $500 each, which will be presented to middle school, high
school and college-age youth who are or have been homeless ."
The news conference will be followed by lunch and guided tours of the Dowd
Center, conducted by youth affiliated with COHHIO.geng.

honors scholarships

A new youth recreation program at the center targets sixth-
through 12th-graders, and includes a leadership/community service component
that YEP facilitates.

stands philanthropy

With the theme "It Takes Energy to Help Everyone Find a Home," Direct
Energy and COHHIO will announce their partnership and details of the Direct
Energy donation at an 11:15 a. A
total of 30 students have so far become Young Envoys, with eleven of them
participating in Bayer-sponsored activities abroad.de

honors powell

Donation will fund scholarships, programs for youth in need

COLUMBUS, Ohio, Direct Energy, one of the largest
retail energy providers in North America, has committed to donate $100,000 to
the Coalition on Homelessness and Housing in Ohio (COHHIO) as part of a multi-
year agreement to work with the agency to assist Ohioans, especially youth, in
housing crisis. Now
in its third year in China, the program is encouraging students aged 18-22
from the five cities of Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, Nanjing, and Hefei to
participate in the competition to become a Bayer Young Environmental Envoy.

million philanthropy

Applicants must have previous experience in environmental activities,
motivation to contribute to a better environment in China, and the initiative
to implement projects to achieve this goal. The Bayer Young Environment Envoy
Program is at the heart of a global partnership in youth and environmental
education between Bayer and the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP)
under an agreement signed in June 2004.