AGRIBUSINESS

3 Firms to Pay $20 Million in Lysine Price-Fixing Case: Three foreign-owned companies and three executives agreed to pay more than $20 million in fines for scheming to raise world prices fo the animal feed additive. They have begun cooperating with investigators targeting the giant American farm products company Archer-Daniels-Midland Co. The six defendants agreed to plead guilty to the first charges brought in the Justice Department’s investigation of international price-fixing in the food and feed-additive business. In this case, they conspired to fix prices and divide up worldwide sales for lysine, an amino acid used to foster growth in swine and poultry and a $600-million industry in itself. No charges were filed against ADM. But the government said its investigation was continuing against companies it would not name. The Justice Department said Ajinomoto Co. and Kyowa Hakko Kogyo Co., both based in Tokyo, and Sewon America Inc. of Paramus, N.J., agreed to settle charges that they colluded on prices.