June 12, 2014
BASF announces investments and new products for North American agriculture
BASF has announced new investments and solutions which will help growers and partners in North America improve yields and efficiency.
The company will invest more than US$270 million to expand production capacity for key herbicides, dicamba and DMTA, at a site in Beaumont, Texas, US, as well as upgrade production at a Hannibal, Missouri site.
With capacities expected to be on line by 2016/17, the expansions will serve to meet the growing demand for BASF''s diverse herbicide portfolio, which features nine different modes of action and multi-year rotational plans in order to ensure effective, flexible and durable weed control.
BASF is evaluating additional investments as part of its plan to spend approximately US$24.3 billion between 2014 and 2018 to increase production of its crop protection products worldwide.
The investments coincide with the planned launch of more than 20 different innovations for the agricultural industry from BASF''s R&D pipeline in North America, highlighted by an advanced dicamba formulation, the Engenia herbicide.
Starting in 2015, Engenia will help growers to control resistant weeds in key row crops and also serve as a key component of dicamba / glyphosate tolerant cropping systems.
Additional innovations include the miticides Nealta for specialty crops and Sultan for turf and ornamentals, which provide effective residual control of mites at all life stages.
From Functional Crop Care''s R&D platform, BASF will provide, from 2015 onwards, a new family of seed coating products based on the Xemium fungicide as well as the Limus urease inhibitor. Limus provides optimal nitrogen availability during crops'' critical growth stages and contributes to better environmental outcomes by helping to reduce nitrogen losses in the field.
In the area of plant biotechnology, BASF Plant Science is moving ahead with several projects, including the 2013 launch of Genuity DroughtGard Hybrids, a drought-tolerant corn variety developed in collaboration with Monsanto. BASF is also initiating the first field trials for its fungal resistance project, which is designed to address stalk rot in corn through innovative trait technology.