BASF sells INITIUM®products in 11 European countries and obtained authorizations in 28 countries worldwide

Limburgerhof, September 2012 - Started in 2010 Initium® products protect crops in European countries like France, UK, Germany, The Netherlands, Macedonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Hungary, Italy, Belgium and Turkey. In Austria sales will begin in 2013. Initium products have been approved overall in 28 countries worldwide including US, Canada, and countries in South America and Asia.

In preparation for the approval procedures, BASF had conducted extensive research and a comprehensive study battery in order to determine the safety profile of Initium. In particular, over a period of 6 years it was tested on crops in Germany, The Netherlands, US, South America and Australia.

Scientific assessments in Europe - conducted by authorities in The Netherlands, Germany, UK, and France - as well as outside Europe - e.g. in The United States, Australia and Canada - confirm an excellent toxicology profile of Initium. Studies resulted in no toxicology risk phrase which classifies Initium as one of the safest categories possible for crop protection products. USEPA in fact has granted „Reduced Risk Pesticide Status” to Initium.

BASF applied for EU-wide active substance approval of Initium in the European Union in September 2008. After the completion of the required analyses and evaluations, the Draft Assessment Report was finalized and a clear proposal for EU approval was made. The Netherlands being the lead EU country in the review have given the clear proposal for Annex I inclusion (Positive listing) under EU Directive 91/414 (now: approval under EU Regulation 1107/2009). The results of this comprehensive scientific assessment confirmed BASF’s evaluation that Initium is safe for users, consumers and the environment when used according to label instructions.

In addition, consumer safety assessments by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and many other authorities worldwide also confirmed that the use of Initium in agricultural crops such as grapes, potatoes and vegetables like onions, cucurbits, tomatoes, peppers, is safe for consumers.

The Romanian authorities granted authorizations for Initium products according to the applicable approval process, due to compliance with all the necessary environmental, toxicology, chemistry and biological requirements.

In Romania, the Initium products were approved for crops such as grapes, potatoes, tomatoes, cucumbers and onion, in order to protect them from diseases known under common name as downy mildew.

About BASF’s Crop Protection division

With sales of € 4.1 billion in 2011, BASF’s Crop Protection division is a leader in crop protection and a strong partner to the farming industry providing well-established and innovative fungicides, insecticides and herbicides. Farmers use these products and services to improve crop yields and crop quality. Other uses include public health, structural/urban pest control, turf and ornamental plants, vegetation management, and forestry. BASF aims to turn knowledge rapidly into market success. The vision of BASF’s Crop Protection division is to be the world’s leading innovator, optimizing agricultural production, improving nutrition, and thus enhancing the quality of life for a growing world population. Further information can be found on the web at www.agro.basf.com or follow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/basfagro.

About BASF

BASF is the world’s leading chemical company: The Chemical Company. Its portfolio ranges from chemicals, plastics, performance products and crop protection products to oil and gas. We combine economic success, social responsibility and environmental protection. Through science and innovation we enable our customers in almost all industries to meet the current and future needs of society. Our products and system solutions contribute to conserving resources, ensuring healthy food and nutrition and helping to improve the quality of life. We have summed up this contribution in our corporate purpose: We create chemistry for a sustainable future. BASF posted sales of about €73.5 billion in 2011 and had more than 111,000employees as of the end of the year. BASF shares are traded on the stock exchanges in Frankfurt (BAS), London (BFA) and Zurich (AN). Further information on BASF is available on the Internet at www.basf.com.

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First approval worldwide of fungicides with Initium^® for wine and vegetables

• New fungicide products authorized by Romania in record time
• Wine and vegetable growers profit from high efficacy and environmental compatibility

Limburgerhof, Germany – January 11, 2010 – Romania was the first country worldwide to authorize Initium^® products. Registration came at just the right moment, since wine growing in Romania is currently undergoing profound changes – Romanian winegrowers aim to establish themselves in the European market by improvements in quality. The innovative fungicide product will help the winegrowers to move over more quickly to profitable, high quality production.

In addition to the Initium product for grapes, which will be available in Romania from 2010 onwards under the name Enervin™, authorization was also granted for Zampro™, an Initium-based fungicide for the specialty crops potatoes, tomatoes, cucumbers and onions. Both products were extensively tested in field trials and showed high selectivity and efficacy against late blight and downy mildew. “Because of the very favourable environmental profile of Initium, the products were authorized in the record time of four years,” said Roland Ringel, Head of the Initium Global Development Project. And in fact, Initium products are not only in high degree environmentally compatible, they are also very user-friendly – they dissolve rapidly and dust-free in water, thus saving time and ensuring extra safety.

With the registration in Romania, BASF has reached an important milestone in its growth strategy for Central and Eastern Europe. Initium products will complement the portfolio alongside other modern compounds like the recently launched Cabrio^® Top, a multi disease fungicide for grapes. Next to Enervin™, Cabrio Top is expected to become a driving force in plant protection for grapes in Romania. As early as 2010 Romanian wine and vegetable growers can benefit from BASF’s comprehensive range of sustainable crop protection solutions. Forecasts indicate that Central and Eastern European countries such as Romania, Bulgaria, Russia and Ukraine will drive market growth in Europe during the next years. The crop protection market in Romania is expected to more than double over the period from 2007 to 2016. “Romanian farmers want to compete successfully on the European market. For this reason there is a great interest in innovative technologies”, said Michael Hess, Head of Central Europe Crop Protection. “Our highly effective and environmentally compatible crop protection products will enable winegrowers and farmers to produce high yields and healthy crops with only minimum residue levels in accordance with EU regulations.” Initium products are expected to be registered in the Netherlands and Great Britain in the first half of 2010. Other European countries will follow.

About the Crop Protection division

With sales of €3.4 billion in 2008, BASF’s Crop Protection division is a leader in crop protection and a strong partner to the farming industry providing well-established and innovative fungicides, insecticides and herbicides. Farmers use these products and services to improve crop yields and crop quality. Other uses include public health, structural/urban pest control, turf and ornamental plants, vegetation management, and forestry. BASF aims to turn knowledge rapidly into market success. The vision of BASF’s Crop Protection division is to be the world’s leading innovator, optimizing agricultural production, improving nutrition, and thus enhancing the quality of life for a growing world population. Further information can be found on the web at www.agro.basf.com .

About BASF

BASF is the world’s leading chemical company: The Chemical Company. Its portfolio ranges from chemicals, plastics and performance products to agricultural products, fine chemicals and oil and gas. As a reliable partner BASF helps its customers in virtually all industries to be more successful. With its high-value products and intelligent solutions, BASF plays an important role in finding answers to global challenges such as climate protection, energy efficiency, nutrition and mobility. BASF posted sales of more than €62 billion in 2008 and had approximately 97,000 employees as of the end of the year. Further information on BASF is available on the Internet at www.basf.com.

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