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Agro chems – Chemicals, Company News, Finance, India, Institutions

Net profit up by 15.2% YoY

The leading agri input company, Dhanuka Agritech Ltd has announced financial results for the second quarter of FY 2022 has posted Rs 73.02 crore profit during July to September quarter, up by 15.22 per cent from the same quarter last year. The company earned Rs. 63.37 crore net profit in the same period of the previous year. Commenting on the Q2 performance, M K Dhanuka, Managing Director, Dhanuka Agritech said: “We have witnessed reasonable growth in the top line but faced pressure on our margins due to high raw material prices. While the prices of raw materials increased, we did not pass them on to the consumers, which has impacted our margins. Apart from this, the margins were impacted due to the depreciation of the Rupee Vs Dollar”.

“Uneven rainfall has also adversely impacted our top line and bottom line. While one-third area received excess rainfall, one-third area received deficit rainfall and only one-third area received normal rainfall. As a result, sowing was impacted and this in turn has impacted the growth of the industry,” he added,

“However, despite the global volatility, farmers received good returns for their produce as commodity prices remained high globally. This augurs well for the industry. Also, the monsoon recovered to a large extent towards the latter half, and accordingly, the soil has reasonable moisture and dams are full of water. Thus, we expect the Rabi sowing to be good. We are confident a good rabi season is likely to ensure a double-digit growth in the current fiscal,” added M K Dhanuka..

During the second quarter, the company brought three new products into the market Cornex, Zanet and Decide, which have been very well received by farmers. The company has set up the “Dhanuka Agritech Research and Technology Centre” at Palwal, Haryana equipped with all laboratory facilities and a training hall with a capacity of 100 farmers. The R&D centre will be inaugurated this month.

The company also launched a massive campaign in August – ‘India ka Pranam Har Kisan ke Naam’ — to honour and recognise the contribution of Indian farmers in nation-building and helping India become food secure.

Net profit up by 15.2% YoYThe leading

Company News

Monitoring throughout the growing season can help determine the best management strategies now and for the future

Syngenta agronomists are encouraging growers to start their yield defense strategy now by monitoring for pests such as corn rootworm, western bean cutworm, and corn earworm. Monitoring throughout the growing season can help determine the best management strategies now and for the future.

“There are several key insect pest corn growers should keep an eye out for this growing season – including corn rootworm and western bean cutworm,” says Bruce Battles, technical agronomy manager for Syngenta. “For those that plant corn on corn, conditions have supported an increase in corn rootworm populations in the last few years. Conducting root digs and monitoring adult corn rootworm beetles will help guide future management decisions.”

“Some insects, such as corn rootworm, have indicators like previous year beetle counts or roots scores that can help predict next year’s pest pressures and help with management decisions,” says Tim O’Brien, traits manager for Syngenta. “But for other insects, their migrations and pressures can be unpredictable. Therefore, the best game plan against 16 different above- and below-ground insect corn pests like corn rootworm, western bean cutworm and corn earworm is the defense provided by DuracadeViptera.”

Using DuracadeViptera offers growers peace of mind and is the only trait stack on the market that protects against 16 above- and below-ground pests, allowing farmers to focus on more than just pests, which is essential to the success of their operation, according to O’Brien. 

Monitoring throughout the growing season can help

Finance

The initiative will serve the purpose of financial inclusion and strengthening service delivery to farmers

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved computerisation of Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) with the objective of increasing their efficiency and bringing transparency and accountability in their operations. This project proposes computerisation of about 63,000 functional PACS over a period of five years with a total budget outlay of Rs 2516 crore and the government’s share of Rs 1528 crore.

PACS constitute the lowest tier of the three-tier Short-term cooperative credit (STCC) in the country comprising of around 13 crore farmers as its members, which is crucial for the development of the rural economy. PACS account for 41 per cent (3.01 crore farmers) of the KCC loans given by all entities in the country and 95 per cent of these KCC loans (2.95 crore farmers) through PACS are given to the small and marginal farmers.

Computerisation of PACS, besides serving the purpose of financial inclusion and strengthening service delivery to farmers, will also will become a nodal service delivery point for various services and provision of inputs like fertilisers, seeds etc. The project will help in improving the outreach of the PACS as outlets for banking activities as well as non-banking activities apart from improving digitalisation in rural areas.

The initiative will serve the purpose of

Agro chems – Fertilizers

Dr Mandaviya asked MFL to search for opportunities to shift to nano urea production which will change the face of fertiliser usage in India tomorrow

Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare and Chemicals and Fertilisers, Dr Mansukh Mandaviya visited Madras Fertilisers Limited (MFL) in Chennai on June 26, 2022. He reviewed the progress of the Company and understood challenges and elaborated on the opportunities and also directed the company to work towards the fulfilling needs of our farmers.

Union chemicals and Fertiliser Minister further said that he has also brought in the vision 2027 which envisions inclusion of phosacid plant, installation of granulator to produce DAP, installation of RLNG based captive power plant of 20 MW, installation of additional NPK stream to make total NPK production of 5LMT and diversification into trading different fertilizer products.

Dr Mandaviya asked MFL to search for opportunities to shift to nano urea production which will change the face of fertiliser usage in India tomorrow.

Furrther, Dr Mandaviya congratulated the team for having achieved a milestone in their journey towards the collective effort of Atmanirbharta in fertilisers. He also stated that MFL has successfully supplied over 32 per cent of the state of Tamil Nadu requirements of neem coated urea of 4.5 LMT in Kharif 2022, while it has produced and supplied nearly 82 per cent of Puducherry’s Kharif requirement of 7300 MT. 

Dr Mandaviya asked MFL to search for

Agro chems – Chemicals, Interaction

FICCI has said that GST Council should consider the agrochemical industry request favourably seeking reduction of the tax rate on agrochemical inputs for the farm sector from current 18 per cent to 5 per cent at the maximum

The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) in a press conference held on June 22, 2022, has said that GST Council should consider the agrochemical industry request favourably seeking reduction of the tax rate on agrochemical inputs for the farm sector from current 18 per cent to 5 per cent at the maximum.

The 47th meeting of the GST Council, chaired by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, will be held in Chandigarh on June 28 and 29.

Addressing the Press Conference on ‘Policy Landscape for a Flourishing Agrochemicals Industry’, organised by FICCI, R G Agarwal, Chair, FICCI Committee on Crop Protection and Chairman, Dhanuka Group said that high Goods and Service Tax (GST) on crop protection chemicals especially hurts small and marginal farmers by increasing their input cost and prompting them to use these essential ingredients in sub-optimal quantities to the detriment of farm output and their own financial health.

“A GST of 18 per cent on agrochemical is highly unjustified since they act as insurance to not only crop health but also increase their quality, yield and income of farmers. This high rate of 18 per cent is not justified and it should be brought down to a maximum of 5 per cent at par with fertilisers.”

Dr CD Mayee, a Former Agriculture Commissioner opined that Agrochemical industry acts as a backbone to our farmers and assures them of high yield with better quality produce while mitigating crop losses. In view of the climate changes and emerging threats of pest and disease there is urgent need to overhaul the regulatory system for introduction of new and innovative chemistries and technologies. There is also an urgent need to improve the enforcement mechanism, at several levels, to ensure the supply of high-quality agrochemicals to farmers on a sustainable basis.   

“This can be achieved with the cooperation of the private sector in addition to hiring adequate manpower and strengthening government laboratories, providing the latest analytical instruments, reference standards and making ISO17025 NABL certification mandatory as done under FSSAI Act as well as support from Quality Council of India or other independent organisations,” said Dr Mayee.

FICCI is organising its 11th Agrochemicals conference 2022 on the theme ‘Policy landscape for a flourishing Agrochemicals Industry’ on June 23 in New Delhi.

FICCI has said that GST Council should

Agro chems – Chemicals, Organic

ICL has signed a long-term agreement with IPL to supply Polysulphate through 2026, with a renewal option

ICL, a leading global specialty minerals company, recently announced that it has signed a long-term agreement with India Potash Limited (IPL) to supply Polysulphate through 2026, with a renewal option. The five-year term is for an aggregate amount of 1 million metric tons, with quantities increasing for each year of the agreement. Each shipment will be a minimum of 25,000 tons and equally distributed across the calendar year, with prices and payment terms to be fixed between IPL and ICL from time to time.

The availability of Polysulphate is expected to help boost the Government of India’s organic agriculture program. Polysulphate is available in its natural state and is mined, crushed, screened and bagged, with no additional chemical separation or other industrial processes – unlike blended or compound fertilisers – and has the lowest carbon footprint available globally. Polysulphate is a cost-effective answer to crop nutrition, as it contains four key plant nutrients: sulfur, potassium, magnesium and calcium, which are steadily available to plants along the crop cycle.

ICL has signed a long-term agreement with

Agro chems – Chemicals, Company News

Best Agrolife Limited along with more than 250 distributors attended this event in which the specifications and in-depth knowledge of each product were shared with them

Best Agrolife Limited, the fastest growing agrochemical company in India, held a glittering mega launch event for its much-awaited agro-products – Ronfen, AxeMan, Warden, Tombo, and Reveal in Pattaya, Bangkok. The launch event was organised in the famous Zign Hotel on 06 June 2022. The Managing Director, Executive Director, and the entire marketing team of Best Agrolife Limited along with more than 250 distributors attended this event in which the specifications and in-depth knowledge of each product were shared with them.

Speaking at the event, Vimal Alawadhi, Managing Director, Best Agrolife Limited said, “Our company has one of the strongest pipelines of sustainable and eco-friendly products that offer complete solutions to the farmers for their present and future needs. We are working tirelessly to develop cost-effective and single-shot agro-inputs in order to benefit farmers across multiple crops. Aligned to the larger Make in India initiative, our company aims to launch more than 5 new products every year to provide relevant solutions for all the crop-related issues. Infact, our entire R&D investment is dedicated to developing innovations that are sustainability – advantaged and these newly launched products are a testimony to that.”

A first-of-its-kind proprietary ternary insecticidal combination of Best Agrolife, Ronfen is a single-shot solution that controls all sucking pests together in various crops like cotton, chilly, vegetables, and many other segments. Ronfen covers the composition of Pyriproxyfen 8 per cent, Diafenthiuron 18 per cent, and Dinotefuran 5 per cent in a unique suspension concentrate formulation. On the other hand, AxeMan (Dinotefuran 15 per cent + Pymetrozine 45 per cent WG) with its dual mode of action, helps in protecting the rice crop from the devastating pest BPH which develops high resistance against all agrochemicals.

Best Agrolife Limited along with more than

Agro chems – Pesticides, Company News

Flupyrimin is a novel insecticide with unique biological properties and residual control, effective against major rice pests

UPL Limited, a global provider of sustainable agricultural solutions, has announced that it would launch new insecticides in India containing the patented active ingredient Flupyrimin to target the most damaging rice pests. The launch will coincide with the Kharif crop sowing season, typically starting in June, with rice the most important crop sown at this time. 

Flupyrimin is a novel insecticide with unique biological properties and residual control, effective against major rice pests such as brown plant hopper (BPH) and yellow stem borer (YSB). Extensive demonstration trials have shown that Flupyrimin protect rice yields from YSB & BPH damage and boost crop health, further supporting farmers’ economic resilience and productivity. Flupyrimin is also effective on pest populations resistant to existing insecticides.

Mike Frank, President and COO at UPL, said, “Flupyrimin is a breakthrough technology promising a leap forward in pest management for rice growers. With market access maximised through UPL’s wide-ranging distribution channels and differentiated branding strategy, the introduction of Flupyrimin in India marks another fundamental milestone of our collaboration with MMAG under our OpenAg vision.”

Flupyrimin is a novel insecticide with unique

Agro chems – Pesticides

Advion MicroFlow effectively controls target pests like ants, cockroaches, crickets, pantry pests and more without impacting non-target organisms

Syngenta has recently announced the launch of Advion MicroFlow insect bait, a dry flowable bait that can help control pests.

This dry flowable bait can help control pests like ants and cockroaches in hard-to-reach areas. Advion MicroFlow features the same active ingredient, indoxacarb, and targeted MetaActive effect found in other Advion products. With a highly attractive bait matrix, it effectively controls target pests like ants, cockroaches, crickets, pantry pests and more without impacting non-target organisms.

It’s also milled to a fine particle size, allowing it to reach deep within cracks, crevices and hard-to-reach areas inaccessible to gel baits or liquids.

“We’re excited to add this dry flowable bait to our pest control portfolio,” said Marshall Gaster, head of marketing for Professional Pest Management (PPM) at Syngenta. “Because it can reach deep harborages and voids with flexible use rates, Advion MicroFlow will be a complementary tool for cleanout and maintenance treatment protocols.”

Advion MicroFlow features a powerful secondary transfer effect, which allows target insects to pass the active ingredient along to nestmates.

Advion MicroFlow effectively controls target pests like ants,

Agro chems – Pesticides

The concern of disposal of empty pesticide containers needs to be addressed collectively by all stakeholders

CropLife India, an association of 16 R&D driven crop science companies, and the leading voice of the plant science industry in India, organised a Virtual International Symposium on Empty Pesticide Containers (EPC) Management in India – Roadmap for Sustainable Management of Empty Pesticide Containers; which was attended by delegates from across the world including Asia, Europe and Africa. 

A Discussion Paper – Roadmap for Sustainable Management of Empty Pesticide Containers was released on during the symposium by Dr S K Malhotra, Chairman Registration Committee, Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Government of India; Dr K K Sharma, Former Network Coordinator, All India Network Project on Pesticide Residues, Indian Agricultural Research Institute and other dignitaries.

Dr S K Malhotra, Chairman Registration Committee, Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Government of India said, “There is an upsurge of demand for safe food crops. The industry has been forthcoming in registering newer and greener chemistry. In order to be sustainable, the concern of disposal of empty pesticide containers needs to be addressed collectively by all stakeholders hence lowering the burden on the environment.”

Dr K K Sharma, Former Network Coordinator, All India Network Project on Pesticide Residues, Indian Agricultural Research Institute said, “As per the study conducted by the All India Network Project on Pesticide Residues, Indian Agricultural Research Institute; used pesticide containers should be rinsed three times thus making them safe to dispose and recycle in the country. The study results can be considered to support re-classification of triple rinsed empty pesticide containers in India as non-hazardous.”

The concern of disposal of empty pesticide

Agro chems – Fertilizers

This strategically important visit came in the backdrop of the ongoing global fertiliser crisis

In a first of its kind initiative, a high level delegation led by Dr Mansukh Mandaviya, Union Minister of Health & Family Welfare and Chemicals & Fertilisers visited Jordan from May 13-15, 2022 with the objective of securing fertilisers and raw materials, both for short and long term. This strategically important visit came in the backdrop of the ongoing global fertiliser crisis.

Dr Mandaviya stated that the Jordan visit proved to be path breaking in terms of ensuring supply of Phosphatic and Potassic fertilisers to India. MOUs were signed with Jordan Phosphate Mining Company (JPMC) for supplies of 30 LMT Rock Phosphate, 2.50 LMT DAP, 1 LMT phosphoric acid for the current year with the Indian public, cooperative and private sector companies. India has also signed a long term MOU for 5 years with Jordan for annual supplies of 2.75 LMT of MoP which will uniformly increase every year up to 3.25 LMT, he added. “These supplies will be crucial for assured fertiliser supply for the ensuing cropping seasons in India”, the Union Minister highlighted. 

The Indian delegation led by the Union Minister of Chemicals and Fertilisers visited the JPMC mines and Phosphoric Acid production facilities set up by JIFCO and Indo-Jordan Company. The delegation was warmly greeted by all the Indian engineers and labour force working in these facilities. They appreciated the visit by the Minister which has been first of its kind and will go a long way in increasing their morale while working on the foreign soil.

This strategically important visit came in the

Agro chems – Chemicals

the new fungicide, OptiCHOS offers farmers a new, low-risk, residue free, and bio-degradable broad spectrum disease control solution, with low environmental and human impacts

UPL Limited has announced that UPL Group has acquired OptiCHOS, a naturally derived fungicide for its Natural Plant Protection (NPP) business unit. The NPP portfolio houses natural and biologically derived agricultural inputs and technologies. OptiCHOS offers farmers a new, low-risk, residue free, and bio-degradable broad spectrum disease control solution, with low environmental and human impacts.

The active ingredients of OptiCHOS were developed from the chitin-rich by-products of the shellfish industry by BioCHOS, a spin-off of the Norwegian University of Life Sciences. NPP’s acquisition of OptiCHOS includes the registration data package and patents enabling the product to be used in mixture of a wide range of fungicides, providing the agricultural industry a variety of options. OptiCHOS has already been submitted for approval for use in the European Union and NPP expects to be able to launch OptiCHOS products across the bloc in the next few years.

Mike Frank, President and COO at UPL said: “The addition of OptiCHOS to our comprehensive NPP biocontrol portfolio will enable us to further solve key global farmer pain points in an environmentally sustainable way by matching the efficacy levels of conventional fungicides with naturally-derived biosolutions. This reflects our mission at UPL to Reimagine Sustainability by harnessing the power of agriculture as a climate-positive industry. We look forward to delivering OptiCHOS-based products into the hands of farmers.”

OptiCHOS will be integrated into UPL’s ProNutiva programme which integrates naturally based biosolutions with conventional crop protection products to offer farmers tailored and adaptable packages that directly tackles pain-points. Through this programme, farmers can ensure higher yields with lower environmental impact while also improving their economic resilience and sustainability.

the new fungicide, OptiCHOS offers farmers a

Inputs

The increased application flexibility on the new label will allow growers to apply Howler at any time of day and any crop stage

Howler fungicide, the first product from agricultural innovator AgBiome, has been granted EPA approval for an updated label with expanded crops, disease targets and application flexibility. This new label brings the addition of 20 new crops, new pathogens and new use patterns for both aerial and seed treatment applications and exciting news on pollinator safety.

Even more specialty crop growers will be able to unleash the power of Howler on their soil-borne and foliar diseases with Howler’s expanded label featuring key crops like hops, sugar beets, oilseed crops, and ornamentals. 

Howler’s list of targeted pathogens grows three-fold with this new label, inclusive of those listed on a FIFRA Sec 2ee label issued in 2021. The updated label adds to Howler’s expansive list of pathogens that frequently affect high-value crops, including downy and powdery mildews, rusts, and Botryosphaeria.

The increased application flexibility on the new label will allow growers to apply Howler at any time of day and any crop stage. This new label also brings the removal of a previous caution statement around application in the presence of active pollinators, officially confirming Howler as pollinator safe. 

The increased application flexibility on the new

R&D

Ginkgo Bioworks will become a multi-year microbial strategic partner with Bayer in their work to develop biological solutions in fields like nitrogen optimisation, carbon sequestration, and next generation crop protection

Bayer recently announced that the company is pursuing an agreement whereby Ginkgo Bioworks will acquire Bayer’s West Sacramento Biologics Research & Development (R&D) site and internal discovery and lead optimisation platform. The contemplated transaction, projected to close before the end of 2022 pending final negotiation of the agreement terms and subject to regulatory approvals, would also bring Joyn Bio’s nitrogen-fixing technologies to Bayer, successfully closing the joint venture created between Leaps by Bayer and Ginkgo Bioworks in 2017.

Ginkgo Bioworks will become a multi-year microbial strategic partner with Bayer in their work to develop biological solutions in fields like nitrogen optimisation, carbon sequestration, and next generation crop protection.

The transaction will enable Bayer to expand its leading biologicals position, strengthen its access to key enabling technology in synthetic biology, and maintain Bayer’s role as the preferred research, development, and commercial partner in the biologics segment.

“Bayer’s work in the rapidly growing biologics space is an essential part of our commitment to sustainability and providing effective climate-smart products like nitrogen fixing and optimization technologies,” said Bob Reiter, Head of R&D for Bayer’s Crop Science Division. “Our work with Ginkgo will accelerate our biologicals pipeline by leveraging Bayer’s expertise in bringing reliable and effective biological products to market against Ginkgo’s synthetic biology research engine – now enhanced by an expanded ag biologics research and development platform – and help Bayer continue to expand our biologics product range to create tailored solutions for additional crops.”

This strategic shift to an exclusively external biologics research discovery pipeline with leading partners will activate the international open innovation ecosystem and equip Bayer to better leverage its proven capability in commercialising biologicals to create category-leading products that meet the growing need for climate-smart and sustainable options that complement traditional chemistries.

Ginkgo Bioworks will become a multi-year microbial