BASF′s crop protection pipeline offers strong growth potential

To keep crops healthy and maximize yields on limited farmland, farmers are increasingly turning to products that feature BASF’s pipeline active ingredients. The result: The value of the company’s pipeline continues to rise, increasing by €100 million to € 2.2 billion year on year. This year’s innovation highlights include one herbicide and two fungicides.
 
The introduction of the novel herbicide Kixor into new markets, the ongoing expansion of our blockbuster fungicide, boscalid, into the field crop market, the strong success of AgCelence, based on F 500, in the new plant health segment coupled with exciting development projects have helped to boost the value of BASF’s Crop Protection pipeline. “We continue to partner with farmers to support their efforts to grow food in an efficient and sustainable way.  Farmers value that commitment and are keen to embrace innovation. This gives us the confidence to continue investing in the new chemistry they need for their crop protection toolbox,” says Markus Heldt, President of BASF’s Crop Protection division. BASF is highly committed to research and development. Last year, BASF increased its R&D investment in crop protection to €355 million. This year spending will be raised again and continues to reach 9-10% of sales.

Pipeline active ingredients

2010	Major crops/markets	Peak sales potential
Launched*		€ 1,500 Million**
F 500® (F), boscalid (F), Dimoxystrobin (F)	Field crops, specialty crops
Tritosulfuron (H)	Field crops
Chlorfenapyr (I)	Non-crop
In launch*
Metrafenone (F),  Orysastrobin (F)	Field crops, specialty crops
Topramezone (H), F 500® seed treatment	Field crops
Metaflumizone (I)	Specialty crops
In development*		€ 700 Million
2 Fungicides	Field crops, specialty crops, seed treatment
1 Herbicide (Kixor™), 2 herbicide tolerance projects***	Field crops
1 Insecticide	Speciality crops
Total		€ 2,200 Million

* Launched: First registration in major market in 2002 (or older than 5 years to current year), In launch: First registration in major market 1 to 5 years prior to current year, In development: First registration in major market in current year or within next 5 years after current year
**70 percent achieved during 2009;
***One of the herbicide tolerance projects is also included in the BPS pipeline communication

A number of highlights follow:
 
Kixor
Shifts in the weed spectrum have created a weed resistance problem. As a result, the global herbicide market is projected to show continued, strong growth, year-on-year, targeted to reach €20 billion by 2020. BASF’s new herbicide technology Kixor is poised to participate in this market growth, with peak sales potential increasing to more than €200 million, up from €100 million a year ago.
 
Already registered in the US and in several countries in Latin America, BASF’s blockbuster, Kixor, is expected to play a pivotal role in combating weeds that have become resistant to glyphosate, currently the world’s most common herbicide.
This year, BASF plans to push ahead with market launch in important countries such as Argentina, the U.S. and Canada. Highly effective against all important broadleaf weeds in key crops, Kixor offers fast broadleaf burndown, and gives season-long control.
 
Boscalid
A fungicide with a new mode of action for efficient disease control, BASF’s Boscalid was originally developed for the specialty crop market but is now showing strong growth in important field crops like cereals and oilseed rape. Boscalid is currently used to treat 100 crop varieties across more than 70 countries and has more than 200 indications. Thanks to this excellent performance, peak sales potential has increased to more than €300 million, up €50 million from last year.
 
AgCelence
In addition to disease control, several BASF products containing F 500 proactively improve plant health. Treated crops show better stress tolerance, better growth performance and plant strength. Launched in 2007 AgCelence is BASF’s global plant health umbrella brand, delivering a new value proposition for farmers: healthier crops, which are easier to harvest, accompanied by significant higher yields of up to 10 percent, which equates to a higher return on their investment. Farmers also benefit from production efficiency in terms of harvesting, storage and food processing and a lower carbon footprint.
 
Incremental volumes coming on stream in the first quarter of 2010 will allow BASF to keep pace with growing demand for products with F 500. This year, BASF will continue to launch products from its AgCelence portfolio in Europe and Asia. F500 is used in numerous crops including, corn, soybean, flowers, fruit, vegetables, sugarcane, sunflowers, bananas, grapes and cereals. Thanks to its broad and global application, F 500 has a peak sales potential of €700 million.