BASF bets on increasing Revysol production in Brazil

BASF concluded 2023 with the announcement that it invested some €15 million in its Agricultural Solutions Division.

According to the agrochemical multinational, the funds were directed towards new operations and infrastructure in Brazil, most notably to increase its production of Revysol.

The company expanded its production plant for formulations of fungicides and insecticides in the city of Guaratinguetá in the Brazilian state of São Paulo.

According to BASF, the aim of the investment is to generate a 45% increase in annual production capacity, to ensure greater agility, flexibility and security in the production of crop protection solutions.

BASF claims that Revysol is the ″largest launch of the Agricultural Solutions Division globally in recent years.″ In Brazil, the active ingredient is present in various fungicides, such as Belyan, intended for use on soybean and cotton crops.

″We will have the production capacity to supply the Brazilian and Latin American markets. This will make our operations more strategic and closer to our main customers,″ said Nelson Cruz, Senior Manager of the BASF formulation plant in Guaratinguetá.

With the expansion, BASF claimed that gains will also be made in sustainability. Recent changes have resulted in a 15% reduction in water consumption at the unit, in addition to emission reductions of over 650 tons of CO2 during the production process.

″The Guaratinguetá Chemical Complex is BASF’s largest production unit in South America. This expansion adds to the company's efforts to produce more and consume fewer natural and non-renewable resources,″ said Paulo Celso Mathias, Director of Operations and Supply Chain for Agricultural Solutions in Latin America.

The factory also gained 15 new professional staff with different educational levels and witnessed the implementation of digital systems and new production technologies.

BASF's recent investments also extend to the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso, where the novelty is a laboratory for the analysis of FiberMax cotton seeds.

The new structure has an area of 400m² and was built within a strategically located distribution center in the region, providing greater agility and excellence for testing.

″With a modern, technological and spacious facility, the laboratory has the capacity to analyze around 500 thousand bags of seeds per crop, with a project to handle some of the soybean seed analyses in the near future,″ said BASF's communication department.

″As a leader in the cotton seed market, we are greatly concerned about the quality of the seeds we are commercializing,″ said Eliana Queiroz, BASF's Seed Quality Manager.

In the laboratory, BASF has a series of germination, vigor and other types of analyses that are evaluated from end-to-end, from pre-harvest to final treatment, she added.

″Therefore, we ensure the traceability of these seeds and reliability in results and provide security to farmers who acquire them,″ Queiroz said.

Annually, BASF announces investments of over €950 million in global research and development to ″continue innovating and strengthening farmers’ legacies.″

(Editing by Leonardo Gottems, reporter for AgroPages)