Good Harvest: technical innovation backs up high quality

In a recent interview, Mr. Du Rong, the Vice General Manager of Jiangsu Good Harvest-Weien Agrochemical Co., Ltd (Good Harvest), shared with Agropages correspondent the experiences in their successful entry to premium glyphosate market, significant catchment of sugar beet herbicide market and achievement of sustainable growth.

- continued technical innovation backs up research and manufacture of high quality product, which ensures the company’s competitive edge

- assumed responsibility for enhanced EHS establishment gains momentum for sustainable development

Good Harvest is dedicated to research and production of high-tech chemicals of pesticide technical, pesticide and pharmaceutical intermediates; its principal products of the company include glyphosate and sugar beet herbicide. Supported by independent intellectual property rights, the company is able to produce glyphosate technical 98% via its environment-friendly novel process; the company is also China’s largest producer of ethofumesate, phenmedipham and desmedipham.

"We position ourselves to production of high quality product only; we don’t intend to capture all market but want to make it perfect and to be the best in our existing market”, said Mr Du.
 
Positioned to Premium Quality

Good Harvest is China’s first number of enterprises applying IDA process to glyphosate production, as well as the earliest enterprise using membrane technology for large-scale treatment of waste water, waste gas and waste residues for reutilization, holding more than 30 various patents so far. Via reclaimed resources and innovative process, the company’s glyphosate technical content has reached 98% with amount of effluent discharge reduced considerably.

The good quality of glyphosate of Good Harvest enables it to rank among the top 3 for long time in Brazil, Australia, Japan, etc. So far as Chinese market is concerned, Good Harvest utilizes its advantage of state-of-the-art technology and has developed the 33% glyphosate ammonium solution which is environment-friendly, high-efficient and particularly appropriate to China; in 2011 this product has captured 30% share in Chinese market.

Similarly, the higher market share of the 3 herbicides -- ethofumesate, phenmedipham and desmedipham is also a result of the continued technical innovation and good quality. The same kinds of products in the market have a content ranging between 92%-96%, but the content of products of Good Harvest is maintained at around 97%, which is the main reason that clients prefer to choose Good Harvest. At present the sugar beet herbicide production capacity of Good Harvest has reached annually 3,000 tons ranking among the tops ones in the world accounting for 50% of the international market.

Through many years’ production restructuring and process upgrade, now there has been not any trace of the high-toxic organophosphorus from the products of Good Harvest, and instead what appears is a low-toxic and high-efficient herbicide. In the next stage, Good Harvest is prepared to continue its quality production philosophy as applied to glyphosate and sugar beet herbicide so as to deliver to the market high quality 2,4-D, dicamba and glufosinate one after another.

Innovation-- the Viability of an Enterprise

The values of Good Harvest are to obtain high quality at low cost while fulfilling environmental compliance via continued technical innovation to achieve a sustainable development.

Good Harvest has made great input into research and innovation mechanism to have achieved the present position as a technical leader, having set up two R&D centers respectively in Shanghai and Qidong with a spending of no less than Yuan 30 million, deployed with most advanced equipment and senior technical personnel. These initiatives are attributed to the open manner of top management and pro-innovative attitude of technical personnel, which is a new momentum for sustainable development of the enterprise.

Through technical innovation, Good Harvest is proud of being China’s first industry player that has replaced the peroxide process with air oxidation process and has achieved mass production of glyphosate technical 98%, taking the lead in registration of high-content glyphosate technical 98% in Europe and US.

Rational Extension to Product Range

In the eyes of Good Harvest, an extension is not just a simple merge but is more a selected consolidation after analysis of product complementarity and adaptability in line with company’s product and marketing strategy. To extend business is not a purpose, but a means to grow.

Through merge and consolidation activities this year, Good Harvest has shaped a more complete product line, especially with respect to herbicides which include staple products such as glyphosate and 2,4-D and niche products like ethofumesate, phenmedipham, desmedipham and dicamba. Transgenic crops have been developed as being resistant to many of these products, and products can be blended to form a complementation between different products.

Furthermore, Good Harvest has developed fungicide and insecticide such as pyrimethanil, myclobutanil, tebuconazole and diafenthiuron. Due to the high demand for these products, their production in a larger scale for application to cash crops is anticipated to generate high added value. With the mass production in place, the production structure of Good Harvest will further improve and will expect to reach a turnover of Yuan 2-3 billion in the next 3 to 5 years.

Environmental Compliance and Good Care of Employees

Since China is strengthening pesticide production regulation, environmental issue will decide the future of Chinese agrochemical enterprises; currently Chinese environmental authorities and industry institutions are organizing formulation of more pertinent and workable glyphosate production effluent standard. After more stringent environmental inspection is carried out, some enterprises may not survive the regulatory compliance, but this will make the industry to be more standardized and well regulated, bringing in a market of fair competition.

Over the past years, Good Harvest has never slowed down its effort into environmental compliance. To date the company’s investment in environmental compliance and circular economy has amounted to Yuan 130 million; its discharge of waste water, waste gas and waste residues has decreased down to 1/3 as compared with conventional production process. In some work sections, zero discharge has been achieved, which is a pride of Good Harvest. Good Harvest also shows good care for employees and assumes responsibility as a corporate citizen.

Future Prospects

It is estimated that Good Harvest will achieve a sales income of Yuan 130 million in 2012, of which sales of low-toxic and high-efficient herbicides including glyphosate and sugar beet herbicide will account for 90%.

The future of Good Harvest mainly depends on the five years ahead, which will be five fruitful years of Good Harvest.