Clariant Marks World Farmers' Day with Innovative Solutions for the Agricultural Sector
Clariant celebrates World Farmers' Day with innovative solutions for the agriculture sector. As one of the world's leading producers of adjuvants and additives that enhance the effectiveness of herbicides, pesticides, fungicides and fertilizers used in agriculture, Clariant marks this occasion with a focus on agricultural innovation.
Turkey Among World's Largest Agricultural Economies
According to 2016 data from the Republic of Turkey Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock, Turkey ranks as Europe's largest agricultural economy and the world's 9th largest. With 25 million hectares of agricultural land, 5.1 million hectares of arable land, over 3 million agricultural enterprises and 5.3 million people employed in the agricultural sector, Turkey's total agricultural trade volume reached USD 32.5 billion. Agricultural production in 2017 also recorded growth compared to the previous year.
Cereal production in particular increased by 4.2%, fresh vegetable production by 1.8% and fresh fruit production by 9.7%.
The global market value for agricultural chemicals today exceeds USD 200 billion and is expected by some estimates to surpass USD 300 billion within the next decade. Clariant is positioned as one of the key suppliers in the crop protection sector.
Focused on developing more environmentally friendly solutions, the company supports customers in enhancing the biological effectiveness of foliar fertilizers, increasing the efficacy of agricultural chemicals, boosting the power of plant growth regulators for improved crop development, and improving bio-herbicide performance.
Addressing Current and Future Challenges in Agriculture
Farmers have been fighting for centuries against rain and other biotic or abiotic factors that cause crop losses. Clariant opened a research and development greenhouse at the Clariant Innovation Centre in Frankfurt-Höchst in 2017 to find solutions to today's and tomorrow's agricultural challenges.
Researchers working in this specialized greenhouse are conducting projects that will change how agricultural chemicals are used. In the controlled-environment research greenhouse, all conditions affecting a plant's life cycle can be kept under control. Conditions such as soil, temperature, precipitation, wind, light and humidity can be adjusted as required by the research.
Tailored Solutions for Different Challenges
Clariant produces additives that support the formulation of crop protection products and fertilizers. Some of these are substances that enable active ingredients to form suspensions or disperse in liquid formulations. For example, Synergen® ME is actively used to enhance the field performance of preferred herbicides.
In a field trial conducted on wheat, the addition of Synergen® ME achieved improved control of problematic weeds such as Alopecurus myosuroides without loss of crop tolerance. With this adjuvant added to the tank, the field performance of the sulfonylurea formulation was further enhanced.
