BASF to boost capacity for fungicides in Germany and US

BASF is making an investment of more than €200 million to scale up and further integrate production and formulation capacities in order to meet continued demand for several key fungicides, including F 500 (pyraclostrobin) and Xemium (fluxapyroxad). The investment drives significant expansions at facilities in Schwarzheide and Ludwigshafen, Germany, as well as Sparks, Georgia, USA. These measures will increase production capacity, flexibility and efficiency. It is one of the division’s largest capital investments in recent years.
 
"We continue to expect strong market demand for our portfolio of innovative products in the future. That is why we increased the estimated peak sales potential of our pipeline to €2.8 billion earlier this year,” said Markus Heldt, President of BASF’s Crop Protection division. “These investments will help to increase our operating efficiency and flexibility, so that we can continue to contribute to sustainable agriculture through our innovative solutions for farmers around the world.”
 
F 500 is BASF’s top fungicide and forms the backbone of the successful fungicide portfolio, including the AgCelence brand which delivers products that improve plant health and help crops better manage stress and resources. The estimated peak sales potential for F 500 was raised to more than €1 billion earlier this year.
 
Xemium is BASF’s next generation fungicide and, since its initial launch in late 2011, has quickly established itself as a winning product with blockbuster potential. It is being sold in combination with F 500 and azoles for controlling a broad spectrum of critical plant diseases. BASF aims for a peak sales potential of more than €200 million with Xemium, based on planned global launch plans in more than 50 countries for over 100 crops.