Canada: BASF expands biological inoculants production for agricultural markets

BASF announced the expansion of its manufacturing facilities in Saskatoon for biological inoculants production.

The company is investing approximately CAD 10 million ($8 million) in the expansion project. Aside from increasing the site’s production volume capacity, the improvements will ensure greater production efficiency and operational safety. Currently, the facility is dedicated to the research, development and manufacture of seed- and soil-applied inoculants, which are used by farmers to help improve plant performance. Products manufactured in Saskatoon reach markets across the globe and are an integral part of BASF’s seed treatment portfolio.

“We will continue to invest in a range of solutions that help our customers succeed in their farming operations, which includes the development of our biological portfolio,” said Paul Rea, Senior Vice President, BASF Crop Protection North America, during a press event held today in Saskatoon, Canada. “This added area of expertise combined with our crop protection innovations are supporting the growth of Canadian agriculture.”

“The expansion is our response to the increasing demand for our biological inoculant solutions worldwide,” said Julia Harnal, Marketing Director, BASF Crop Protection Canada. “With these investments, our latest innovation, Nodulator® Duo, will soon make its way from our facilities in Saskatoon to growers in Canada, who seek better plant nutrition for their crops.” Nodulator Duo is a solid core granular inoculant for peas and lentils that contain the beneficial bacteria rhizobia as well as a Bacillus subtilis that creates a biofilm to protect the roots. The rhizobia can fix nitrogen onto crops as a plant nutrition means. Every one kilogram of Nodulator contains at least 80 billion rhizobia.

“Canada is the world's largest producer and exporter of several crops, including flaxseed, canola, durum wheat and pulses. Each grower and each crop has unique needs and we work to provide tailored solutions that can answer these demands,” explained Harnal.

In addition to the Saskatoon site, BASF recently invested more than CAD 828 million ($660 million) in its eight other North American agricultural products production sites and facilities that support its agricultural business. Such developments are critical to sustaining the company’s market leadership position in segments like high-quality seed treatments.

“These investments highlight BASF’s commitment to bringing innovations to agriculture, as well as the positive contributions we make to the communities we serve,” Rea said.

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Nodulator is a trademark of BASF.