In the rapidly evolving landscape of agriculture, the agrochemical industry is undergoing a paradigm shift driven by the imperative for increased productivity, resource efficiency, and environmental sustainability. This transformation is crucial in addressing the challenges posed by a growing global population, climate change, resource scarcity, and evolving ecological conditions. Focused on ensuring a sustainable and secure food chain, FMC, a key player in the industry, stands at the forefront of innovation.
Through a blend of science, technology, and community engagement, FMC envisions contributing to a safer, more resilient, and sustainable global food supply.
How is the Ag-Chem industry shaping up towards a sustainable and secure food chain/supply?
The agrochemical industry is undergoing a transformative journey driven by the need for increased productivity, resource efficiency, and environmental sustainability. With an ever-growing global population and the escalating need for enhanced crop protection and increased yields in the face of challenges like climate change, resource scarcity, resistance management and changing ecological conditions, the agrochemical sector has a pivotal role in ensuring a sustainable and secure food chain.
In India specifically, industry sources indicate that Indian farmers lose crops worth more than INR 2 Lakh Crores every year to pests and this waste needs to be addressed in an effective, efficient, and environmentally responsible manner.
At FMC, we believe in the infinite potential of science and innovation to transform agri-food systems in a way that benefits people and the environment. Our commitment to sustainability is reflected in our continuous research and development efforts, which aim to provide farmers with innovative solutions to evolving challenges growers face. Our research teams are dedicating their efforts to formulating agrochemicals that are not only highly effective but also environmentally benign. We aim to improve the bioavailability of active ingredients, thereby minimising the need for excessive chemical applications. This approach contributes significantly to the reduction of overall chemical usage in agriculture.
By supporting farmers with sustainable technologies that help protect their crops and build resiliency to climate impacts, we will continue contributing to a safe, secure, and sustainable food supply.
What are the current practices / technologies in agriculture (with a focus on the advancements of sustainable agricultural solutions)?
Technology is rapidly reshaping agriculture, uplifting rural areas and enhancing productivity to feed the growing world. Precision agriculture technologies such as robotics, drones, machine learning algorithms, are elevating efficiency levels in farming practices, as well as reshaping the industry vision and outlook.
Within the crop protection industry, the biologicals sector has grown dramatically in the last several years. Farmers have seen that biologicals can deliver significant value in an integrated pest management scenario, working in combination with synthetics. We expect the segment to steadily grow and become a regular part of the overall solution farmers need to protect their crops.
Additionally, Artificial Intelligence (AI) is revolutionising agriculture research by enhancing data analysis, predictive modeling, and decision-making processes. AI algorithms analyse vast datasets, including weather patterns, soil conditions, and crop performance, to provide actionable insights for better farming conditions.
At FMC, we recognise the paramount importance of science in agriculture to foster sustainable farming practices. Through our range of community engagement activities, outreach programs, stewardship trainings and science scholarships in partnership with leading agricultural universities, we strive to empower farmers and agriculture students with knowledge and tools to adopt sustainable agricultural practices.
Additionally, our social media channels have some of the leading engagement rates in the Ag-Chem space. Our farmer-focused mobile app, besides providing information on our crop solutions, also provides farmers easy access to our Drone and Boom Sprayer services. The pest prediction feature under our precision agriculture focused app is next in line for farmers to learn about anticipated pest threats in advance, guide them on solutions available and connect with the nearest solution provider.
What are the innovations by FMC to increase farmer productivity and profitability?
At FMC, we deeply believe in the boundless potential of science and innovation to positively transform the world of agriculture. For over 130 years, we have stood by farmers worldwide, offering sustainable technologies that protect their crops and bolster resilience against threats. We provide innovative solutions to growers with a robust portfolio including some of the leading insecticides, herbicides, and fungicides, many featuring new modes of action based on novel technologies.
FMC has one of the strongest R&D pipelines in the industry. We invest more than seven percent of our revenue to develop new synthetic technologies as well as innovative biological solutions, like pheromones and peptides, to augment our rapidly growing plant health platform.
Rynaxypyr® active, the world’s no. 1 insect control technology, is an example of our commitment to bringing world-class technologies for crop protection. It powers the two most trusted crop protection brands in India – Coragen® Insecticide and Ferterra® Insecticide.
These two brands have consistently delivered unparalleled crop protection, fortifying our commitment to supporting farming communities. Later in this year, we are excited to bring in new generation wheat weedicide powered by a novel herbicide technology for the control of multi-chemistry resistant Phalaris Minor weed in wheat, a huge menace farmers face today.
Beyond products that not only help to maintain a safe and secure food supply but has minimal impact on the planet, we support farmers to sustainably increase productivity and prosperity through stewardship and sustainability initiatives. For example, we are working to improve the application efficiency of crop inputs by deploying technologies such as drones and tractor mounted application systems.
President
FMC India and South-West Asia
FMC also launched Project Madhushakti in 2022, a first-of-its-kind innovative sustainable development initiative in India where we develop entrepreneurship among rural women through beekeeping, to generate sustainable income for their families. The goal is to raise their living standards, creating multi-fold benefits for the environment as well as the rural communities. The project is in the foothills of the Himalayan Mountain range (rural area of Uttarakhand), where there is an abundant source of natural herbs and flora useful for honey production. Project Samarth is another initiative that reflects FMC’s commitment to empower the farming community – this project installed water filtration plants across various regions, providing the farming communities with easy access to potable water.
The agricultural inputs industry is poised to see a significant evolution ahead, with new technologies, innovation, and more sustainable agricultural practices. FMC is committed to agroeconomic growth in India and around the world, we are proud to have the trust of growers and industry partners to maximize their productivity, profitability, and sustainability.
