AgroPages-Bayer Cropscience launches novel nematicide Velum® Prime in Malawi-Agricultural news

Velum® Prime

Category：Nematicides

Crop：Potato,Tomato,Tobacco

Bayer CropScience introduced a novel nematicide Velum® Prime (fluopyram) into the Malawi market to help farmers combat destructive plant parasites. Velum® Prime is the first product to control both nematodes and early blight. Mamati Tembe, Sales and Marketing Manager at Bayer CropScience, highlighted that one of the greatest challenges facing farmers today is protecting agricultural crops from plant parasitic nematodes whilst having the least possible impact on the environment.

“As one of the leading innovative companies in our industry, we are committed to developing next-generation integrated pest management (IPM) tools that can help farmers reduce nematode infestation and secure yields,” said Tembe. “Integrated solutions for nematode control are also the local focus in Southern Africa and we are pleased to be able to offer this to the Malawian market, particularly for tobacco farmers in the region.”

Tobacco production in Malawi is one of the nation's largest sources of income. In fact, it is one of seven countries that derive at least 1% of export earnings from tobacco with Burley leaf from Malawi making up 6.6% of the world’s tobacco exports and accounts for over 70% of Malawi's foreign earnings. Tobacco sales generate 165 million dollars per year for Malawi, 53% of Malawi's total exports.

Tembe continues: “Since tobacco is the backbone of the Malawian economy, it is essential that not only are farmers able to increase yields and continue to produce quality crops, but they are also able to secure their production and the contribution that it makes to the country’s GDP.”

Velum Prime is a more environmentally friendly nematicide used to control nematodes in various crops including tobacco, potatoes and tomatoes. In field trials, Velum has shown a significant increase in yield and quality in a broad spectrum of crops in other African countries. Helping to create value for farmers through improved yields has also increased their bottom line.

“Nematodes have a huge economic impact, causing an estimated US$ 100 billion in crop damage every year. As a result, there is a growing need for effective nematode control with novel modes of action and favourable ecological and toxicological characteristics, and this is exactly what Velum offers. A combination of modern chemical treatments will be the most successful approach to effective nematode control and will become the cornerstone of integrated pest management (IPM) strategies for the crops of the future.” concludes Tembe.