SDS to debut paddy herbicide in US to expand exports

SDS Biotech plans to target the U.S. market, which has extensive paddy acreage and whose cultivation of Japonica rice is increasing, under its new global strategy to expand exports of its paddy herbicides are now mostly sold domestically with the rest supplied to the Asian region, will start with benzobicyclon, its core paddy herbicide that is extremely effective against sulfonylurea-resistant weeds and has high residual effects.

As benzobicyclon also acts strongly against annual broadleaf weeds and difficult –to-manage scirpus juncoides var. ohwianus, it is the active ingredient in many one-shot herbicides. Introduced in 2001, its domestic application area has spread to 500,000 hetares, out of Japan’s total paddy acreage of nearly 1.7mn hecatares.

Benzolbicyclon has been shown to have remarkable effects on weeds that grow in US paddy fields, which are so vast that airplanes are used for pesiticde application. SDS, therefore, plans to develop a formulation for airplane application.

The company’s ratio of pesticide exports to overall sales is currently a high 32.8%, mainly contributed by its Daconil Fungicide.