Best Agrolife Limited (BAL) recently announced that its wholly owned subsidiary Seedlings India Pvt Ltd has been awarded a 20-year fungicide patent for its first fungicide containing cyanoxazole, enemorpholin and phenotrimazole as a highly effective crop solution against late blight and downy mildew in tomato and grape crops. and downy mildew in tomato and grape crops.
India is the second largest tomato producer in the world, with an estimated tomato production of more than 20 million metric tons in 2022. However, late blight caused by Phytophthora infestans, (Mont.) de Bary, is one of the most devastating diseases in tomato production in India. It not only adversely affects tomato yield and tomato growers’ economy but also reduces tomato quality. Late blight spreads rapidly in the field, infecting tomato stems, leaves and fruits, and if left unchecked, may result in reduced yields or even poor harvests. On the other hand, grapes are a highly profitable fruit crop in India. However, grapes are highly susceptible to many fungal diseases. In particular, downy mildew can cause 50 ~ 100% economic losses. This disease affects grape leaves, stalks, inflorescences and berries, resulting in severe losses in both fruit yield and quality.
Given the importance of tomatoes and grapes in India and the damage caused by late blight and downy mildew on these crops, the combination of products licensed under this patent proved to be very beneficial in the integrated control of these diseases. Not only did it help control and limit fungal growth, but it also enhanced biological efficacy in terms of synergistic effects, improved crop yields without phytotoxicity, good stability and higher benefits. The market size for this combination of fungicidal ingredients is reported to be around Rs. 350 crore.
BAL is one of the top 15 agrochemical companies engaged in the production of agrochemicals in India. The company offers more than 70 formulations of insecticides, herbicides, fungicides and PGRs, with 360+ formulations and over 91 licenses for manufacturing of prodrugs, making it one of the most comprehensive product portfolios in India.
BAL has an annual production capacity of 30,000+ tons of formulations and a state-of-the-art integrated prodrug plant with an annual capacity of 70+ tons. The company has an extensive distribution network of more than 5,200 distributors and 20 warehouses across the country. BAL received registration for indigenous manufacturing of the key herbicide sulfoxaflor and also became the first agrochemical company in India to manufacture chlorothalonil prodrugs in-house.
