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HomePosts Tagged "Senior Vice President"
Agribusiness, Agrotech, Company News, Oilseeds, R&D, Sustainability, World

Sustainable Castor Caring for Environmental and Social Standards (SuCCESS) code the first global standard that certifies castor oil and its derivatives – such as bio-based polyurethane.

 BASF together with the world’s first castor bean program ‘Pragati’ (Pragati), introduces certified traceability for bio-based solutions in footwear. Pragati was established with the unified sustainability code SuCCESS (Sustainable Castor Caring for Environmental and Social Standards) that sets a standard for certified sustainable castor oil.

“The footwear segment has been at the forefront of implementing sustainable solutions at BASF. With the availability of certified traceable bio-based polyurethane solutions, we are well-positioned to serve the growing demand for eco-friendly solutions for the footwear business in Asia,” said Andy Postlethwaite, Senior Vice President, Performance Materials Asia Pacific, BASF.

The demand for sustainable footwear solutions has been growing steadily in tandem with consumer awareness. Footwear brands and manufacturers have a clear goal to enhance the sustainability aspects of their products without compromising on cost, performance or quality. Bio-based solutions offer enhanced sustainability by reducing fossil resource consumption. Additionally, castor oil is derived from the seeds of the non-edible castor oil plant (Ricinus communis). As it can grow in arid or semi-arid regions, it requires less water as well. The dried beans also have a long shelf life.

“Meanwhile, we are looking to extend the use of this bio-based solution to other segment applications as well,” added Postlethwaite.

Pragati was launched in May 2016 in Gujarat, India as the region produces about 70% of the world’s supply of castor beans. Over 7,000 hectares of generally semi-arid land are now farmed according to the SuCCESS sustainability code since its introduction in the region. More than 7,000 farmers have been trained, audited, and certified. Over 74,500 tons of certified castor seeds have been cultivated, and year 7 yield is 36% higher than the yield published by the local government for this region.

Sustainable Castor Caring for Environmental and Social

Agribusiness, Agro chems – Chemicals, Agro chems – Pesticides, Company News, India, Inputs

 In line with Asia Pacific strategy, BASF is developing solutions specifically for local market needs.

 Piercing and sucking pests pose a significant threat to agricultural crops in India, causing extensive damage amounting to 35 to 40% loss in the productivity and yield of the produce. Farmers in India can now manage this challenge with Efficon®, a new BASF insecticide launched today. Efficon is powered by BASF’s new active ingredient, Axalion® in a specialised formulation.

With its unique mode of action, Efficon Insecticide is among the first compounds in the market introduced under the new IRAC group 36 which represents a totally new class of insecticides (Group 36 — pyridazine) which has no known cross-resistance with existing products in the market, making it a superior insecticide resistance management tool.

Efficon Insecticide was first launched in Australia in 2023. India is one of the earliest countries in the world to obtain this new novel chemistry that will help support farmers manage tough sucking pests.

In line with Asia Pacific strategy, BASF is developing solutions specifically for local market needs. “At BASF, everything we do we do for the love of farming. We are dedicated to listening and working alongside farmers to understand their needs, so that we apply our expertise to help them successfully face the enormous challenge of protecting crops from pests and boosting productivity, supporting the biggest job on earth,” said Simone Barg, Senior Vice President, BASF Agricultural Solutions, Asia Pacific.

A valuable aspect of Efficon Insecticide is its unique mode of action. It is highly effective on multiple life stages of target pests like Aphids, Jassids and White flies. Upon application, Efficon quickly stops insects from feeding and plant injury. It provides long lasting residual control due to its systemic properties.

Due to its systemic properties, Efficon provides long lasting residual control even to the new crop growth. “This innovation reaffirms BASF’s commitment to help farmers across boundaries in managing a variety of existing sucking pests. Efficon will help Indian farmers in effective and long duration protection against insect pests in wide variety of crops like cotton and vegetables. Efficon is also highly compatible with non-target organisms and beneficial insects, including pollinators, when applied according to label instructions,” said Giridhar Ranuva, Business Director Agricultural Solutions, BASF India.

“This milestone with Efficon supports our goal of developing an insecticide portfolio that helps farmers worldwide. BASF is committed to helping Indian industry and agriculture maximize their potential. Indian growers deserve access to advanced solutions to help them achieve better yields managing resistance with innovations in sucking pests,” said Dr Marko Grozdanovic, Senior Vice President, Global Strategic Marketing, BASF Agricultural Solutions. “We are convinced that by providing farmers with effective and sustainable solutions, we can support them to meet the growing demand for food while reducing the impact on the environment, “he added.

 In line with Asia Pacific strategy, BASF

Agro chems – Pesticides, Agrotech, Company News, World

Strengthening the portfolio of biological and biotechnology-based crop protection products.

BASF invests a high double-digit million euro amount in a new fermentation plant for biological and biotechnology-based crop protection products at its Ludwigshafen site. The plant will manufacture products that bring value to farmers including biological fungicides and biological seed treatment. BASF also plans to utilize the plant to produce the main building block of Inscalis®, a novel insecticide derived from a fungal strain. Commissioning is planned for the second half of 2025. The plant will employ 30 people in production, logistics, engineering and maintenance.

The plant will use microorganisms to convert renewable raw materials such as glucose into the desired products – a process known as fermentation.

“We see a growing demand for biological crop protection products. This investment is an important step in building an even stronger and more competitive portfolio in this area,” said Marko Grozdanovic, Senior Vice President, Global Strategic Marketing at BASF Agricultural Solutions. “In addition, fermentation is a very flexible technology that will allow us to bring more innovative biotechnology-derived products to the market in the future.”

“For production at our Ludwigshafen site, this development is another step in the transition to innovative manufacturing processes with lower energy intensity based on renewable raw materials,” said Christian Aucoin, Senior Vice President, Global Operations at BASF Agricultural Solutions. “The site offers excellent synergies due to its good infrastructure, the integration into an existing high-performance production organization and the proximity of research units such as White Biotechnology.”

Strengthening the portfolio of biological and biotechnology-based