Bayer has inaugurated a new plant at its Vapi site in Gujarat. The new plant will manufacture Ethiprole, an active ingredient used in insecticides for crop protection products. Set up with an investment of Rs. 200 crores, the plant’s annual production capacity is 1,500 metric tons. It will cater to domestic demand in India and export to global markets across Asia Pacific and Latin America.
The Vapi site is an integral part of Bayer’s commitment towards the Government’s vision of ‘Make in India’ that aims to promote job creation and build best-in-class manufacturing infrastructure, ensuring sustained growth of the Indian economy. Inaugurated in 1994, the Vapi site currently employs 1,200 full time employees and is Bayer’s largest global synthetic pyrethroids production facility, with almost 80% of the production exported to the US, Brazil, France, Germany, Indonesia, Japan & Australia. Spread over 85 acres, the Vapi site manufactures 11 active ingredients and 11 intermediates for use in crop protection, animal health and home & garden applications.
Narendra Shah, Director, Bayer Vapi Private Limited said, “The agriculture sector is currently the largest end-user of Ethiprole, which is emerging as one of the best insecticides for a variety of crops. With our new insecticide plant, we will fulfill domestic needs for Indian agriculture and also export to global agricultural markets. India is one of Bayer’s key growth markets in Crop Science and with this strategic investment, we aim to further enhance our global competitiveness in agrochemical manufacturing and supply chain”.
Dr. Udo Schneider, Head of AI Manufacturing Product Supply, Crop Science at Bayer AG said, “The new plant at Vapi will expand Bayer’s global production volumes for Ethiprole and enable us to introduce innovative products to help growers secure their yields and grow healthier, high-quality crops”.
It must be noted that Ethiprole-based insecticides have been in use since 1994. In 2010, Bayer expanded its portfolio of Ethiprole insecticides to include broad acre crops such as sugarcane, soybean, corn and cotton. In rice, they are used extensively for control of three major insect pests – hoppers, weevils and stinkbugs. Ethiprole can not only eliminate insect pests from standing food crops in the field, it can also extend the shelf life of crops such as peanuts, citrus fruits, wheat and corn during storage.
