BASF unveils new insecticide to fight crop pests in India

Hyderabad: BASF, a leading chemical solutions company, has launched 'Efficon,' an insecticide in India specifically designed to assist farmers in tackling piercing and sucking pests, which pose a significant threat to crops.

These infestations cause extensive damage amounting to 35 to 40 per cent loss in the productivity and yield. Farmers can now heave a sigh of relief. Efficon is powered by BASF’s new active ingredient, Axalion in a specialised formulation.

This insecticide was first launched in Australia in 2023. India is one of the earliest countries in the world to obtain this new chemical that will help support farmers manage tough sucking pests.

In line with Asia Pacific strategy, BASF is developing solutions specifically for local market needs, a company release said.

“At BASF, everything we do we do for the love of farming. We are dedicated to listening and working alongside farmers to understand their needs, so that we apply our expertise to help them successfully face the enormous challenge of protecting crops from pests and boosting productivity, supporting the biggest job on earth,” said Simone Barg, Senior Vice President, BASF Agricultural Solutions, Asia Pacific.

Efficon is highly effective on multiple life stages of target pests like Aphids, Jassids and White flies.

Due to its systemic properties, Efficon provides long lasting residual control even to the new crop growth. “This innovation reaffirms BASF’s commitment to help farmers across boundaries in managing a variety of existing sucking pests. Efficon will help Indian farmers in effective and long duration protection against insect pests in wide variety of crops like cotton and vegetables,” said Giridhar Ranuva, Business Director Agricultural Solutions, BASF India, the release added.

“This milestone with Efficon supports our goal of developing an insecticide portfolio that helps farmers worldwide. BASF is committed to helping Indian industry and agriculture maximize their potential. Indian growers deserve access to advanced solutions to help them achieve better yields managing resistance with innovations in sucking pests,” said Marko Grozdanovic, Senior Vice President, Global Strategic Marketing, BASF Agricultural Solutions. “We are convinced that by providing farmers with effective and sustainable solutions, we can support them to meet the growing demand for food while reducing the impact on the environment,” he added.