To be sold through select dealers in south India

Valagro, an Italy-based company engaged in the production and commercialisation of plant biostimulants and speciality nutrients, launched two new products for the Indian market to help improve the quality and productivity of row crops, particularly paddy and cotton, here on Saturday.

Launching the two products – Opifol, a combination of macro and micro nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium and zinc characterised by rapid intake, and YieldOn, a biostimulant with plant and algae extracts that stimulates specific biological activity to spur yield –, Valagro country manager Luca Fornara said, “The two products will offer a greater return on investment, combining productivity, quality and sustainability in row crop farming”.

They would not only improve the quality and productivity of row crops, but would increase the income of farmers with higher production and goes in tune with the Indian government’s plans to double farmers’ income by 2020, Mr. Fornara said. The two products are particularly designed to increase the yield of paddy and cotton, although they are highly useful for soyabean, maize, wheat and sunflower as well.

Stating that the products were already released in Brazil, France and the U.S.A., the Valagro executive said they would be most useful in increasing the production of row crops in India as their average productivity here was 20% less compared to the world average. Besides, they would also help bridge the gap between the demand for food crops and their production during 2000-2030 period in India.

He said they would sell the two products through select dealers in south India, Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh to begin with, and after stablising here for three years, they would expand to north India.

Product development managers of Valagro explained that the average productivity of paddy was 40% lesser compared to China and 20% less worldwide as it was 3.7 tonnes per hectare in India against 6.9 tonnes in China and 4.6 tonnes worldwide. Similarly, cotton yield was 70% below China and 40% less compared to the world average as it was 0.5 tonnes per hectare in India against 1.7 tonnes in China and 0.8 tonnes worldwide.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by Special Correspondent / Hyderabad – August 04th, 2018