BASF enters Indian crop protection market for rice
- Range of new solutions to boost rice yields in India by managing diseases, weeds and pests
- Rice is India’s most important food crop, with an annual production of more than 100 million metric tons
Rice farmers in India will be able to boost productivity and income with the help of BASF crop protection solutions for rice, now available in the country for the first time.
“Our aim is to support India’s rice growers to realize their full potential. We will dedicate BASF’s expertise in modern, sustainable farming to the needs of the Indian rice growing community,” said Markus Heldt, President of BASF’s Crop Protection division, at today’s launch event in Hyderabad, India. BASF is a worldwide leader in crop protection, with global sales of more than €5.8 billion in 2015.
Rice is India’s most important food crop, with more than 100 million metric tons produced per year[1]. Furthermore, India is a substantial exporter of rice to the global market, exporting over 10 million metric tons per year[2] with significant opportunities to further increase output[3]. “With our new offerings for rice in India, we are strengthening our contribution to meeting the growing demand for farming technologies in India, one of the largest agricultural markets in the world,” Heldt said.
With this launch, BASF provides comprehensive solutions that effectively manage major rice diseases, weeds, and pests, while meeting consumers’ expectations for healthy, high quality food. These include the fungicides Seltima® and Adexar®, which combat a number of persistent rice diseases, including sheath blight and blast. Seltima is a BASF AgCelence® fungicide, which not only controls diseases but also delivers higher yields. BASF’s herbicide Basagran® will also be launched in India, solving difficult weed problems confronting Indian farmers. In the next three years, additional products will be launched in India to meet the growing need for modern farming solutions, including state-of-the-art herbicides, fungicides and insecticides.
BASF employs a dedicated team of nearly 200 crop protection experts in India to ensure a direct market presence, and is one of India’s leading providers of advanced crop protection solutions, covering all major crops, including soybeans, corn, cotton, wheat, fruits, vegetables and now rice. The company is continuously looking for new active ingredients that can control crop pests in unique ways. BASF established an Agricultural Research Station in Pune in 2015, which focuses on local and global agricultural research. It also operates a global research and development center at its Thane site in Navi Mumbai focusing on organic synthesis, advanced process and formulation research, discovery chemistry for modern agricultural solutions, and molecular modelling. In 2015, BASF invested around €500 million in crop protection research worldwide.
“With initiatives like Make in India, Smart Cities, and Swachh Bharat, India today is all about rapid, sustainable development. That means enormous growth in the demands of the population for better food, housing, and mobility as well as clean food, water and air. This provides huge opportunities for the chemical industry as well as BASF. And, BASF is investing actively in India to realize these opportunities,” said Dr. Raman Ramachandran, Chairman of BASF Companies in India.
The BASF Group has invested nearly €300 million in India over the past four years, in both manufacturing and innovation, in supporting local industries including scientific agriculture and food manufacturing, in sustainable transportation, pollution and emissions control, and in energy-efficient buildings and infrastructure.
For more information, visit: basf.com/in/rice
About BASF’s Crop Protection division
With sales of more than €5.8 billion in 2015, BASF’s Crop Protection division provides innovative solutions for agriculture, turf and ornamental plants, pest control and public health. Our broad portfolio of active ingredients, seed treatments, biological controls, formulations and services optimizes efficient production of high quality food and protects against post-harvest loss, damage to buildings and the transmission of disease. By delivering new technologies and know-how, BASF Crop Protection supports the effort of growers and pest management professionals to make a better life for themselves and society. Further information can be found on the web at www.agro.basf.com or on our social media channels.
About BASF in India
BASF has successfully partnered India’s progress for more than 125 years, with all global businesses maintaining a presence in India today except for Oil & Gas. As of the end of 2015, BASF in India had 2,236 employees at nine production sites & eight sales offices, as well as two R&D centers, located in Mumbai and Mangalore. In 2015, BASF registered sales of approximately €1.1 billion to customers in India. Further information is available on the Internet at www.basf.com/in.
About BASF
At BASF, we create chemistry for a sustainable future. We combine economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility. The approximately 112,000 employees in the BASF Group work on contributing to the success of our customers in nearly all sectors and almost every country in the world. Our portfolio is organized into five segments: Chemicals, Performance Products, Functional Materials & Solutions, Agricultural Solutions and Oil & Gas. BASF generated sales of more than €70 billion in 2015. BASF shares are traded on the stock exchanges in Frankfurt (BAS), London (BFA) and Zurich (BAS). Further information at www.basf.com.
[1] Source: United States Department of Agriculture
[2] Source: United Nations Faostat (latest data from 2013), http://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#data/TP
[3] Source: World Rice Statistics Query Results (IRRI Data), http://ricestat.irri.org:8080/wrs
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