Bayer’s Antracol Celebrates 60 Years: A Legacy of Innovation and Agricultural Impact in China 06-11-2025

Summary: Bayer celebrated Antracol®'s 60th anniversary in Chongqing, China, marking its global legacy. Since 1998, Antracol® has been pivotal in Chinese agriculture, deployed across 30+ crops. The event highlighted its evolution, core values, and future strategy "More Crops, More Users, More Solutions+". Bayer aims to expand Antracol®'s impact, introducing new products by 2028, and integrating it into bundled solutions for enhanced crop protection and growth.


Bayer Celebrates 60 Years of Antracol® Global Legacy with Landmark Event in Chongqing, China

June 5, 2025 – Bayer marked a historic milestone today in Chongqing, China, hosting the global launch of its "Antracol® and Its Friends" 60th-anniversary celebration series, with China serving as the inaugural stop for the worldwide commemorative campaign. Since its debut in the Chinese market, Antracol®, a cornerstone fungicide, has been deployed across over 30 crop varieties, cementing its reputation as a trusted ally for Chinese farmers and a driving force in advancing the nation’s agricultural sector.

The grand event brought together an esteemed assembly of channel partners, farmer representatives, and executives from Bayer’s global headquarters in Germany, its Asia-Pacific division, and its Greater China operations. Attendees embarked on a journey through Antracol®’s six-decade evolution—from its German origins to its profound impact in China—celebrating its enduring legacy as a global agricultural innovation.


60 Years of Global Innovation, Rooted in China’s Soil

The 1960s marked a pivotal era in global agriculture, characterized by the limitations of traditional fungicides, escalating pest resistance, and mounting environmental concerns. These challenges catalyzed Bayer’s groundbreaking research, culminating in the development of propineb, the active ingredient in Antracol®. In 1998, Antracol® made its debut in China, swiftly gaining traction as a go-to solution for farmers battling crop diseases and safeguarding yields. Today, the product is registered in over 50 countries across more than 100 crops, treating over 6 million hectares annually.


Ralf Glaubitz, President of Bayer Crop Science’s Global Fungicides and Biologicals Business, emphasized in his opening remarks, “Bayer takes immense pride in Antracol®, a transformative product that has empowered farmers worldwide to prevent diseases, protect harvests, and contribute to global food security.” Echoing this sentiment, Yifan Li, Customer Enablement Director for Bayer Crop Science Greater China, highlighted Antracol®’s remarkable footprint in China, with nearly 50,000 metric tons applied since its introduction, benefiting hundreds of millions of farmers. As the brand celebrates its 60th anniversary, Bayer remains committed to propelling Antracol® toward new heights of success.


Jin Tao, Global Rice Fungicide Product Director for Bayer Crop Science, guided guests through Antracol®’s evolutionary trajectory. Over six decades, the product has undergone continuous refinement across three pillars: product formulation, technological advancements, and application innovation. These efforts have delivered three core values—protection, zinc supplementation, and stress resilience—which underpin Antracol®’s enduring popularity among farmers. Bayer’s long-term vision centers on expanding Antracol®’s contributions to food security, resistance management, affordability, and crop resilience, laying the groundwork for the next 60 years of innovation.


"More Crops, More Users, More Solutions+" Strategy Drives Value in China

In China, Bayer is advancing Antracol®’s value proposition through the "More Crops, More Users, More Solutions+" strategy, a tailored roadmap designed to enhance crop protection efficacy, crop quality, and marketability.


Yue Gu, Fungicide Asset Manager for Bayer Crop Science China, outlined the strategy’s mid-to-long-term objectives, including the evolution of Antracol® from a standalone product to a comprehensive solution ecosystem. Leveraging local insights and strengths, Bayer aims to drive domestic production, boost farmer profitability, and expand application scenarios, addressing real-world challenges faced by Chinese growers. By 2028, Bayer plans to introduce new additions to the Antracol® family in China.


Dr. Jianjun Bai, Senior Manager of Technical Development for Bayer Greater China, elucidated the technical ethos behind Antracol®’s six-decade success. The product’s name encapsulates its core attributes: "An" (safety) reflects its low-toxicity classification by the WHO since 1993; "Tai" (resilience) denotes its proactive disease prevention and low resistance risk; and "Sheng" (vitality) highlights its 15.8% zinc content, which nourishes crops and promotes sustainable growth.


Expanding Antracol®’s ecosystem, Bayer has integrated the fungicide into bundled solutions such as "Bayer More Rice" and Navoan®, aligning with the needs of Chinese farmers. Hui Li, Fungicide and Crop Health Technical Manager for Bayer Crop Science China, underscored Antracol®’s synergistic potential when combined with Bayer’s portfolio, including products like Voliam Targo®, Nativo®, Decis®, Sempra®, and Infinito®. These combinations offer multifaceted benefits for crops such as bananas, peppers, rice, citrus, and cucumbers, enhancing growth, yield, and marketability.


As Antracol® embarks on its next chapter, Bayer remains steadfast in its commitment to innovation, collaboration, and farmer-centric solutions, ensuring the brand’s legacy endures for generations to come.



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