https://agrospectrumasia.com/rssfeed/country/germany germany https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/122/4040/german-startup-eternal-ag-raises-eur-8-mn-to-develop-autonomous-robots-for-greenhouse.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/122/4040/german-startup-eternal-ag-raises-eur-8-mn-to-develop-autonomous-robots-for-greenhouse.html Fri, 05 Jun 2026 12:49:18 +0530 The investment will be used to accelerate the company's European expansion and extend the technology's capabilities to new crop types. Eternal.ag, a startup building autonomous harvesting robots for greenhouses, today announced it has raised EUR 8 million in funding from Simon Capital, Oyster Bay Venture Capital, EquityPitcher Ventures and Backbone Ventures. Eternal.ag is developing fully autonomous robots that perform greenhouse crop work without human operators. Greenhouses are increasingly essential for securing the year-round supply of fresh fruit and vegetables, being far more resilient to seasonal weather, climate change, land shortages and pests than outdoor farming. However, greenhouse labor availability is falling rapidly - in Europe, by as much as 30 per cent since 2010 - and forecasts say this trend will continue, leaving growers with structural staffing shortages. By automating physically demanding harvesting work, eternal.ag's robots enable greenhouses to operate reliably and continuously, even when labor is unavailable or inconsistent. By 2040, the company envisions fully automated greenhouse operations powered by robotics, requiring no manual operations. Eternal.ag's first commercial product to launch is Harvester, a fully autonomous harvesting robot designed for tomato greenhouses. Harvester operates up to 22 hours a day consistently and works as part of an intelligent AI-powered system to ensure quality of produce and cut. Built as a modular system, the platform is designed to expand over time with additional robotic functions to better serve broader greenhouse operations. "Autonomous robots only work if they can handle real-world variability between plants, layouts, and daily operations," said Renji John, CEO and co-founder of eternal.ag. "We develop and validate our robots using simulation-first development. That allows us to train, test, and fail safely in virtual greenhouses - cutting iteration cycles from months to days. Once deployed, every robot action feeds data back into the system, which is designed to learn, improve and scale." "Climate change, labor shortages, and rising demand are pushing food production to its limits," said Niklas Leske, Principal at Simon Capital. "Greenhouse horticulture is one of the most efficient and sustainable ways to grow fresh produce year-round. Yet, labor shortages put the industry at risk, and robotics is the only future-proof solution to build a decentralized, resilient food supply chain for the next generation. eternal.ag's experienced team has a deep understanding of what growers are up against and has developed a solution to tackle this in a sustainable and measured way." Founded by Renji John and Sherry Kunjachan, eternal.ag has built a team of 26 employees so far, working across Europe and India, with headquarters in Cologne and offices in Bengaluru. The new funding will be used to accelerate product development, expand commercial deployments across Europe, and extend to additional crop types. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/122/3509/from-additives-to-spices-cac48-redraws-rules-of-global-food-trade.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/122/3509/from-additives-to-spices-cac48-redraws-rules-of-global-food-trade.html Thu, 08 Jan 2026 11:50:16 +0530 Codex and FAO officials detail how updated standards aim to protect consumers without triggering disproportionate trade disruption for export-dependent economies In an exclusive Agrospectrum and NUFFOODS Spectrum interview with global food-standards leaders — Sarah Cahill, Codex Secretary; Lingping Zhang, Food Standards Officer, Codex Secretariat; Markus Lipp, Senior Food Safety Officer, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO); Gracia Brisco, Food Standards Officer, Codex Secretariat; and Hilde Kruse, Senior Food Standards Officer, Codex Secretariat — CAC48 emerges as a decisive moment for Codex amid rising geopolitical fragmentation. The experts reaffirm Codex’s science-based, consensus-driven mandate, which shaped major reforms including additive reviews, aflatoxin updates, pesticide-residue reference guidelines and new maximum lead levels for spices. They underline how improved Codes of Practice, surveillance support and harmonised quality parameters enable consumer protection while minimising trade disruption for export-reliant economies. Looking ahead, they highlight the Codex Strategic Plan 2026–2031, which places digital traceability, climate-risk foresight, and advanced analytical technologies at the core of modernising global food safety governance. Edited excerpts; Codex at a Geopolitical Crossroads The 48th Session saw critical standards adopted across additives, contaminants, and fresh-produce quality. At a time when food systems face geopolitical fragmentation, supply-chain shocks, and rising protectionism, how does Codex ensure these standards remain science-led, globally harmonized, and insulated from political pressure? The Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) is a Member-driven body with its commitment to a science-based approach to standard setting enshrined in its procedures. Its work is guided by its strategic goals, and its core values of collaboration, inclusiveness, consensus building and transparency. Codex texts are the benchmark for food safety under the World Trade Organization’s (WTO’s) Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS Agreement) and are relevant to the Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT Agreement) where WTO members refer to harmonization with international standards such as the Codex Alimentarius for food-related issues such as labelling. Codex standards play an important role in addressing specific trade concerns or for dispute settlement cases. Wherever you are, whatever you do, safe food is an everyday need. And it is a global commodity. These aspects are integral to every discussion in the Codex Alimentarius Commission. “Together” was also the theme of CAC48, which served to highlight that when it comes to food safety and quality it is only by working together that we can effectively and efficiently ensure food is safe and of good quality.  The GSFA Overhaul: Science, Safety, and Consumer Trust More than 500 food additive provisions were reviewed, leading to revocations and new inclusions. What principles guided the reassessment—particularly for colourants like annatto extracts—and how does FAO ensure regulators and industry transition smoothly to these updated provisions without disrupting product availability or trade flows? All Codex work is conducted following approval by CAC. Thus, the decision for reassessment was taken by Members. In the case of annatto extracts, this decision was based on: The need to align the General standard for food additives with relevant sections of commodity standards. In this case, for example, there was a need to align with the Standard for fermented milks, which does not provide for the addition of annatto extracts in plain milk. Codex texts are developed through consensus by all its Members in a deliberate manner that often spans a timeframe of several years. The national Codex contact points serve as a primary node to disseminate all applicable information to national stakeholders. In addition, FAO provides support when requested by Member Countries to strengthen national Codex structures, thereby enhancing national capabilities in disseminating all relevant Codex texts to national stakeholders. Aflatoxins in Peanuts: New Science, New Responsibilities The revised Code of Practice on aflatoxins integrates updated agronomic science, maturity-stage tables, and roasting effects. How will FAO help producing countries—especially smallholder-dependent economies—translate these best practices into field-level change? Are new surveillance, extension, or capacity-building mechanisms planned? FAO stays ready to support its members needs and will respond to requests by its members for additional capacity building measures correspondingly. FAO and Codex furthermore have published numerous guidance documents, codes of practice and related texts that is publicly available, ready to be used by any other organization that would like to use this information in order to support producers of peanuts. Lead Limits in Spices: Balancing Public Health and Trade facilitation With new maximum levels now set for dried bark (cinnamon) and culinary herbs, exporting nations such as —India, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Indonesia—face compliance pressure. How does Codex balance the dual mandate of protecting consumers health while ensuring fair practices in trade, in this case, preventing trade disruptions for economies reliant on spice exports? The mandate to protect consumer health and ensure fair practices in the food trade is the statutory purpose of CAC. This means that, when it comes to food safety standards such as maximum levels for contaminants in foods, CAC will not establish more stringent measures than necessary to protect consumers health so that the measures themselves do not become a technical barrier to trade which may then translate in trade disruption that may impact economic growth and ultimately food security.   Although spices and culinary herbs are consumed in small amounts, as opposed to other foods, it remains important to assess the safety of lead levels in these foods due to the impact of lead toxicity on human health that may include neurodevelopmental effects such as decreases in Intelligence Quota (IQ) and attention span in children, impaired renal function, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, impaired fertility, and adverse pregnancy outcomes and therefore the ALARA continued to apply when CCCF discusses risk management considerations related to health and trade so that while ensuring the safety of the food, this does not imply high rejections rate of lot consignments, at import control point. CCCF does provide support to Codex Members to enable them to comply with MLs, by developing codes of practice, a compendium of risk management measures and practices to assist in reducing food contamination, in this case CAC40 adopted in 2017 the Code of practice for the prevention and reduction of mycotoxins in spices (CXC 78-2017). FAO does have a role to play in assisting countries with the implementation of the CoP, helping them to identify specific risk management measures that may not be included in the CoP, as they are usually overarching texts, that can complement the measures applicable worldwide that are described in these CoPs. The Codex Alimentarius Commission has now adopted MLs for lead in spices and culinary herbs, specifically, dried bark (cinnamon) and dried culinary herbs. The MLs are 2.5 mg/kg for lead in spices, dried bark and 2.0 mg/kg for lead in culinary herbs, dried and will now be added to the General Standard for contaminants and toxins in food and feed (CXS 193-1995).  Pesticide Reference Materials: A Quiet but Critical Reform The guidelines allowing extended use of pesticide reference materials beyond labelled expiry dates could significantly reduce laboratory costs and waste. What drove this reform? And how does FAO envision it strengthening residue monitoring systems in low- and middle-income countries where testing infrastructure remains limited? Pesticide residues in food are a subject of particular concern for consumers and in the food trade. To ensure the safety of food, the regulation of pesticide use, and relevant residues, must be enforced and guaranteed. Part of the process of testing for pesticide residues relies on laboratories being able to access what are known as reference materials, or RMs. But these are costly and sold with 2-to-5-year short-term expiry dates, though there is no requirement to find maximum shelf life. This can force laboratories to buy new RMs more frequently than potentially necessary. This leads to additional work and additional costs, and that can hinder how much testing can be done.  The Codex Alimentarius Commission has now adopted guidelines that provide a scientifically sound framework to monitor the purity and stability of reference materials under defined conditions, which, if implemented correctly, may allow continued use of RMs beyond their expiry date - where purity remains within acceptable limits. This reduces recurring costs, minimizes waste, and ensures confidence in the reliability of pesticide residue analysis.  The work on the development of guidelines for monitoring the purity and stability of reference materials of pesticides during prolonged storage commenced at CCPR51 in 2019, when some delegations expressed concerns regarding the limitation of the use of reference materials beyond the expiry date, leading to significant recurring costs for laboratories. As chair of the electronic working group (EWG), India led the work to develop these guidelines. FAO stays ready to support its members needs and will respond to requests by its members for additional capacity building measures correspondingly.  Read more about this work in the 2025 edition of the CODEX magazine   Standard for Fresh Dates: Trade Enablement for Climate-Stressed Regions The new standard comes after a decade of negotiations and is deeply important for date-producing regions across the Middle East and North Africa. How will harmonized quality parameters—size, colour, uniformity, defects—reshape global trade? Can such standards help climate-stressed producers secure better prices in high-value retail markets ? By adopting the new Standard for fresh dates, Codex Members now have an international reference that provides the baseline for international trade of this commodity upon which trading partners can agree on additional quality provisions based on their consumers’ preferences. For producing countries, this opens up trade possibilities across the globe, which, in many cases, will support the livelihoods of small producers, bolster economies and provide a safe, good quality product for consumers worldwide. Castilla Lulo (Naranjilla): Regional Standards as a Strategic Tool This new regional standard reflects the fruit’s cultural importance and emerging trade value in Latin America. What criteria does Codex use to decide when a product merits a regional rather than global standard? And do regional standards serve as testbeds for potential future global adoption? When considering new work proposed by FAO/WHO regional coordinating committees, CAC considers, amongst other things, whether the new work is justified on the grounds that the product in question is significantly traded intraregionally and that there is no significant trade between or within other regions When a commodity for which there is a regional standard, sees increased trade at a global level, the coordinating committee concerned, or a Member, can propose extension of the territorial application of the standard. This involves new work, which has to be approved by CAC. CAC48 approved, for example, new work on converting the Regional standard for laver products (Asia) to a worldwide standard, work that will be carried out by the Codex Committee on Fish and Fishery Products (CCFFP). The Next Frontier: Modernizing Codex for a New Era of Food Risks From AI-driven food systems to precision fermentation, novel ingredients, and climate-linked contaminants, food safety risks are evolving faster than many national regulatory systems. What are FAO’s top priorities for modernizing Codex over the next decade? How will future standards incorporate digital traceability, climate risk modelling, and new analytical technologies? FAO is a parent organization of Codex, together with the World Health Organization (WHO). However, work prioritization in Codex is the remit of the Codex Alimentarius Commission. CAC47 adopted the Codex strategic plan 2026–2031 and CAC48 its monitoring framework. The purpose of the Codex strategic plan and its renewal and renegotiation every five years is to ensure that Codex work is aimed at achieving the most appropriate objectives. FAO has a very long-standing tradition to inform the Codex Alimentarius Commission and its subsidiary bodies with all relevant information to facilitate forward looking workplanning. FAO continues to offer its support to all its members and the members of the Codex Alimentarius Commission to assist in national capacity building activities to strengthen food control systems, food safety governance and all related aspects. The new strategic plan has as its first Strategic Goal to: Respond to Members’ needs for protecting the health of consumers and ensuring fair practices in the food trade in an evolving global landscape, by developing science-based standards and related texts 1.1 Foresight and horizon-scanning activities are used to support the identification of issues likely to impact food safety, quality and trade. 1.2 Scientific advice that addresses the needs identified by CAC and its subsidiary bodies is primarily provided by FAO and WHO and their joint scientific advisory bodies, informed by globally representative data and appropriate international expertise and methodology. 1.3 Scientific advice is used by CAC and subsidiary bodies in line with Codex risk analysis principles. 1.4 Codex standards and related texts are developed, reviewed and adopted in a timely, transparent and inclusive manner. Thus, with reference to FAO’s foresight programme ( https://www.fao.org/food-safety/scientific-advice/foresight/en/ ), Codex will aim to keep ahead of emerging trends Codex work is already addressing some of the key emerging issues and adapting based on Members’ priorities: Digital traceability is already a key topic of discussion in the Codex Committee on Food Import and Export Inspection and Certification Systems (CCFICS), and work is ongoing to develop texts for the digitalization of national food control systems. CAC47 adopted the Codex Committee on Food Labelling’s (CCFL’s) Guidelines on the provision of food information for pre-packaged foods to be offered via e-commerce New food sources and production systems have been discussed extensively in Codex in recent years. In this context several areas of new work are under discussion which will help define how codex addresses this emerging area moving forward. Changing climate is also impacting food safety and this is also impacting the standard setting work of Codex. For example, the Codex Committee on Contaminants in Food (CCCF) elaborated and CAC47 adopted the Code of practice for the prevention or reduction of ciguatera poisoning, in response to the evolving nature of this issue, which is related to climate factors. The Codex Committee on Food Hygiene developed and CAC46 adopted Guidelines for the safe use and reuse of water in food production and processing in response to Members concerns about the need to ensure that in the context of water resource challenges, the safety of food was not negatively impacted. There is a continued emphasis, particularly within CCCF, on the issue of mycotoxins, the threat of which is evolving and possibly expanding as climate factors change. —---- Suchetana Choudhury (suchetana.choudhuri@agrospectrumindia.com) ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/122/2948/vietnam-germany-strengthens-agricultural-ties-with-mechanization-as-a-focal-point.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/122/2948/vietnam-germany-strengthens-agricultural-ties-with-mechanization-as-a-focal-point.html Fri, 23 May 2025 09:41:19 +0530 The focus is on agricultural machinery inspection and certification, as well as building the capacity of local experts, technicians, and farmers. Tran Thanh Nam, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment of Vietnam, met with the German Agricultural Society (DLG) to discuss agricultural mechanization, food safety, and sustainable development. DLG Markets' Managing Director, Jens Kremer, welcomed the Vietnamese delegation. Vietnam's Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment Tran Thanh Nam expressed his appreciation for the growing collaboration between DLG and the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment. Specifically, he highlighted DLG's initiative to organize AGRITECHNICA ASIA every two years in Vietnam, an important platform for advancing agricultural innovation and international cooperation. “AGRITECHNICA ASIA Vietnam 2025 marks the first time DLG brings its globally recognized expertise in agricultural technology and innovation directly to Vietnam,” said Deputy Minister Nam. “The solutions showcased at this exhibition will not only be well-suited to our domestic agricultural sector but will also help address major challenges faced by Vietnamese farmers. These include improving productivity, adopting sustainable agricultural practices, and gaining access to cutting-edge technologies and machinery.” Vietnam's goal is to become one of the world's leading agricultural nations through mechanization. To realize this vision, the country is implementing the Sustainable Development of One Million Hectares of High Quality and Low-Emission Rice Associated with Green Growth in the Mekong River Delta By 2030 program.   Vietnam is particularly interested in identifying and adopting high-tech agricultural machinery and technologies suitable for its production conditions. Mr. Nam stressed the importance of enhancing the system for agricultural machinery inspection and certification, and of building the capacity of local experts, technicians, and farmers in the field of agricultural mechanization. Regarding the potential establishment of a mechanization service center for agricultural production in the Mekong Delta, the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment proposed that DLG cooperate in implementing pilot models that apply high-tech solutions in agricultural production. This would include organizing training programs and thematic workshops on advanced agricultural technologies, mechanization, and sustainable farming practices. In addition, the Ministry proposed that DLG support the provision of equipment, the transfer of technology, and the joint training of human resources. These efforts would contribute significantly to promoting the modernization of agriculture in this key economic region. To further strengthen cooperation, Vietnam proposes both sides consider signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) focused on agricultural mechanization. The main areas of cooperation would include: promoting comprehensive mechanization across agricultural production; enhancing capacity building and vocational training in the field of mechanization; developing logistics systems; and facilitating digital transformation in agriculture. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/122/2922/bayer-intends-to-focus-on-production-rd-of-its-crop-science-division-in-germany-on-strategic-technologies.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/122/2922/bayer-intends-to-focus-on-production-rd-of-its-crop-science-division-in-germany-on-strategic-technologies.html Mon, 19 May 2025 12:49:06 +0530 Decisions are based on the five-year framework of the Crop Science Division Bayer is reorganizing its Crop Science division's activities in the areas of crop protection production and research and development in Germany. The step is necessary to ensure the division's global competitiveness. Manufacturers of generic crop protection products, particularly from Asia, have built significant overcapacity over recent years and are pushing onto the market with persistently low prices, some of which are below the manufacturing costs of crop protection products in Europe. This is exacerbated by increasing regulatory restrictions and national export barriers. In the future, the focus will therefore be even more on strategic, innovative technologies and products that offer growers differentiated value not matched by generics. As a result of the changes, Bayer will discontinue its activities in Frankfurt am Main after the end of 2028. The company aims to sell parts of the activities, while others will be relocated. Production at the Dormagen site will be streamlined to ensure its competitiveness for the future. Frank Terhorst, Head of Strategy and Sustainability of the Crop Science division says "This results in difficult decisions that are painful for many colleagues. However, these steps are urgently needed to counteract the significant overcapacity and a hopeless price competition with generics manufacturers from Asia, so that we can maintain production facilities in Germany and continue to produce products competitively for our customers." Bayer aims to sell production activities in Frankfurt, R&D will be concentrated in Monheim At its Frankfurt site, Bayer runs production operations for herbicide active ingredients and formulations, as well as research and development activities for herbicides, employing around 500 people there. However, not all jobs will be lost: Divestment opportunities are being explored for some production activities, while other production activities will be moved to the sites in Dormagen and Knapsack, or integrated into the European formulation network. Research and development activities will be optimized from a cost perspective, and all essential activities will be relocated to the main site in Monheim am Rhein where research and development for insecticides and, to some extent, for fungicides is already located. About two years ago, Bayer also started construction of a state-of-the-art facility for the development of crop protection products in Monheim. These measures will strengthen Monheim as a focused center for research and development of crop protection products. Germany will thus remain Bayer's most important location for research and development of crop protection products worldwide. Reorganization to secure the future at the Dormagen site The Dormagen site will remain Bayer's production facility with the largest portfolio of active ingredients and crop protection products and will be streamlined to ensure its competitiveness for the future. Capacities will be focused on innovative and strategic technologies and products that differentiate Bayer from competitors. Production of various generic active ingredients and their associated formulations, which are available at significantly lower prices on the global market, will be discontinued. These changes will be implemented gradually by the end of 2028. Based on current planning they will impact approximately 200 positions in active ingredient production and formulation, of the nearly 1,200 employees at the site. "Through the restructuring measures, we are positioning the Dormagen site to be able to continue to play a leading role in Bayer's global production network. We are also working with employee representatives on socially responsible solutions for the affected colleagues in Dormagen," said Frank Terhorst. In March, Bayer presented a comprehensive "five-year framework" to counter the challenges facing the Crop Science division and to ensure global competitiveness. The reorganization at the German sites is a result of the "five-year framework." Bayer is focusing on its strengths as an innovation company to provide new technologies that improve food security worldwide. Innovative active ingredients for crop protection products are critical in doing so with several blockbusters to be launched from the Crop Science research and development pipeline over the next ten years ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/122/2858/beneo-inaugurates-new-plant-to-advance-plant-based-nutrition-in-germany.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/122/2858/beneo-inaugurates-new-plant-to-advance-plant-based-nutrition-in-germany.html Mon, 14 Apr 2025 11:26:06 +0530 The site is built with the €50 million investment to processes local pulses into high-quality food and feed ingredients occupying a 4,000 square meters area BENEO, a leading manufacturer of functional ingredients for food, feed and pharma and member of the Südzucker Group, has officially inaugurated its first pulse-processing plant after a construction period of just one and a half years. Südzucker Group invested around €50 million in its site in Obrigheim, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany for the opening. A local pulse called faba bean is processed into food and feed ingredients in this plant. The faba bean itself also plays a key role in sustainable agriculture, as pulses require no nitrogen fertiliser and enhance the soil quality for future crops. BENEO’s faba beans are grown in Germany, in close proximity to the production plant, and are REDCert2 certified, which is equivalent to the Farm Sustainability Assessment (FSA) from SAI at the highest “Gold” level. This new plant was built next to the existing BENEO site where its sugar replacer Isomalt and smart carbohydrate Palatinose TM (isomaltulose) are produced. The plant covers an area of approximately 4,000 square meters. On 11th April, a special inauguration ceremony was attended by Daniela Schmitt (Minister of Economic Affairs of Rhineland-Palatinate), Johannes Steiniger (Member of the German Bundestag), Nicole Eicher (Mayor of Obrigheim), Dr Niels Pörksen (CEO of the Südzucker Group), Olivier Roques (CEO of BENEO GmbH), Niels E. Hower (Member of the Executive Board of BENEO GmbH) and Dirk Dinger (Chairman of the Works Council of the Obrigheim plant).   “BENEO's new plant represents a strong commitment to Rhineland-Palatinate as a business hub. At the same time, the investment is driving innovation in the food industry and strengthening regional value creation. Future-oriented projects like this secure jobs, promote sustainable economic activity and strengthen rural areas,” said Daniela Schmitt, Minister of Economic Affairs for Rhineland-Palatinate. Sustainability has been a key focus for the new development, with the plant production running entirely on electricity from renewable energy sources. Additional power is generated by a rooftop photovoltaic system and waste heat from production is used to heat the building, while the pulse processing requires no water. The site’s sustainability credentials are further reinforced by a zero-waste approach, ensuring that all raw materials are fully utilised as ingredients for the food and animal feed industries. Niels E. Hower, Member of BENEO’s Executive Board, stated “What began more than 30 years ago with the processing of beet sugar into ingredients with added health benefits is now being continued at the new plant. The faba bean is a legume with a long history. Here in Obrigheim, we will process it into high-quality, plant-based ingredients that will contribute to future-proofed nutrition.” With the expansion of the site, BENEO is addressing these evolving consumer trends and catering for rising customer demand. Pulse-derived proteins, such as those from faba beans which are used for meat or dairy alternatives and egg replacement, are increasingly sought after in the food industry as alternatives to animal protein, playing a key role in the development of plant-based products.  ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/122/2305/basf-agricultural-solutions-plans-to-change-production-network-of-glufosinate-ammonium.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/122/2305/basf-agricultural-solutions-plans-to-change-production-network-of-glufosinate-ammonium.html Wed, 17 Jul 2024 14:54:32 +0530 Production at Knapsack and Frankfurt sites expected to stop by 2024/2025 BASF plans to cease production of the active ingredient glufosinate-ammonium (GA) at the Knapsack and Frankfurt sites in Germany by the end of 2024 due to economic reasons. The GA formulation in Frankfurt will end in 2025. Subsequently, both production facilities will be shut down. Glufosinate-ammonium remains a key component of BASF’s global herbicide portfolio. The active ingredient glufosinate-ammonium is one of the most widely used broad-spectrum herbicides and controls weeds in a vatiety of crops worldwide. BASF’s GA production is increasingly affected by rising competition from generic manufacturers, alternative technologies as well as high energy and raw material costs. Despite both production facilities achieving cost reductions, BASF’s volume and profitability development is insufficient. BASF is therefore restructuring its production network and will source the active ingredient from third-party suppliers in the future. In doing so, the company is securing its long-term competitiveness and profitability in the GA market. Michael Heinz, Member of the Board of Executive Directors at BASF said “We remain committed to providing our customers with top-quality GA solutions. At the same time, we will continue to focus on the development of next-generation GA solutions that achieve the same results with significantly lower application rates, benefiting farmers in the Americas and Asia.” ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/122/1974/basf-unveils-new-fermentation-plant-for-crop-protection-products-in-germany.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/122/1974/basf-unveils-new-fermentation-plant-for-crop-protection-products-in-germany.html Fri, 22 Mar 2024 09:58:52 +0530 Strengthening the portfolio of biological and biotechnology-based crop protection products with new site in Ludwigshafen BASF invests massively in a new fermentation plant for biological and biotechnology-based crop protection products at its Ludwigshafen site. The plant will manufacture products that bring value to farmers including biological fungicides and biological seed treatment. BASF also plans to utilize the plant to produce the main building block of Inscalis®, a novel insecticide derived from a fungal strain. The plant is expected to go into operation in the second half of 2025 and will manufacture biological fungicides and biological seed treatment products. BASF also plans to produce the main building block of Inscalis®, a novel insecticide derived from a fungal strain. In the production microorganisms are used to convert renewable raw materials such as glucose into the desired products – a process known as fermentation. The plant will employ 30 people in production, logistics, engineering and maintenance. The plant will use microorganisms to convert renewable raw materials such as glucose into the desired products – a process known as fermentation. “We see a growing demand for biological crop protection products. This investment is an important step in building an even stronger and more competitive portfolio in this area,” said Marko Grozdanovic, Senior Vice President, Global Strategic Marketing at BASF Agricultural Solutions. “In addition, fermentation is a very flexible technology that will allow us to bring more innovative biotechnology-derived products to the market in the future.” “For production at our Ludwigshafen site, this development is another step in the transition to innovative manufacturing processes with lower energy intensity based on renewable raw materials,” said Christian Aucoin, Senior Vice President, Global Operations at BASF Agricultural Solutions. “The site offers excellent synergies due to its good infrastructure, the integration into an existing high-performance production organization and the proximity of research units such as White Biotechnology.” Delegates the buried a time capsule, commemorating the groundbreaking day of the plant. It included a photo of the project team, a daily newspaper, the canteen menu of the day and a panda bear as a sign of the bond with Chengdu in China, where a significant part of the detailed engineering for the plant took place.  Image Caption (left to right): Dr. Uwe Liebelt, (President European Site and Verbund Management), Heather Remley (President, Engineering & Technical Expertise, Ludwigshafen) and Christian Aucoin (Senior Vice President, Global Operations at BASF Agricultural Solutions) ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/122/1805/china-germany-signs-the-action-plan-on-agricultural-cooperation.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/122/1805/china-germany-signs-the-action-plan-on-agricultural-cooperation.html Thu, 08 Feb 2024 10:15:30 +0530 China's Vice Minister Ma Youxiang held discussion with German Parliamentary State Secretary Nick Ma Youxiang, Vice Minister of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, held a meeting with Ophelia Nick, Parliamentary State Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture of Germany, in Berlin. They exchanged views on further deepening China–Germany agricultural cooperation and signed the Action Plan on Agricultural Cooperation Between the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of the People's Republic of China and the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture of the Federal Republic of Germany (2024–2028).   Vice Minister Ma pointed out that after more than half a century of agricultural cooperation between China and Germany, cooperative mechanisms are well-developed and fruitful results have been achieved, thus playing a positive role in advancing China–German relations. He suggested that the two countries should, through signing the Action Plan, adopt effective actions in areas such as rural revitalization, responding to climate change, and soil health, and jointly promote deep and solid cooperation in agriculture.   Parliamentary State Secretary Nick agreed with Vice Minister Ma’s views and suggestions, saying that Germany stands ready to deepen pragmatic agricultural cooperation between the two countries and conduct close exchange on issues such as animal disease prevention and control, and market access for meat products. Vice Minister Ma stated that the Chinese government attaches great importance to reducing food loss and waste, and has taken a series of effective measures to reduce loss by improving facilities, adopting technologies, reducing disasters, and using institutional means, thus achieving tangible results in reducing food loss and waste at all stages of the industrial chain. China stands ready to work with all countries to realize the UN 2030 food loss and waste reduction goal, while making greater contributions to safeguarding global food security and building a community with a shared future for mankind. Agriculture ministers or vice ministers from over 90 countries and high-level representatives from international organizations attended the conference.   ]]>