Corrects headline and paragraph 1 to show that IPO filing will be in second quarter, not the IPO launch

By John Revill, Kane Wu and Oliver Hirt

ZURICH/HONG KONG, Feb 26 (Reuters) - Syngenta Group plans to file the application for an up to $10 billion stock market listing in Hong Kong in the second quarter of this year and has hired banks to manage the initial public offering, two people with knowledge of the matter told Reuters.

Reuters reported this month that Basel-based Syngenta, which is controlled by state-owned Chinese company Sinochem, could sell up to 20% of its shares in the IPO but the size and timing of the offering was not final and could change depending on market conditions.

Syngenta declined to comment on possible timeline for the prospectus filing or when the IPO itself would take place.

(Reporting by John Revill and Oliver Hirt in Zurich and Kane Wu in Hong KongEditing by Sumeet Chatterjee and David Goodman)

((sumeet.chatterjee@thomsonreuters.com; +852 3462 7757;))