Gujarat State Fertilizers & Chemicals (GSFC) launched seven new crop protection products under its "Sardar" brand at an event in Gandhinagar on 23 September, with Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel presiding, AgroPages reports. The move takes the state-owned company well beyond its traditional fertiliser business into branded agrochemicals.

The seven products span herbicides and insecticides. Coverage of the launch mentioned chlorantraniliprole and emamectin benzoate as active ingredients in the wider Sardar range, but did not say which of the seven products contain them, and GSFC has not yet published full technical labels or crop-specific recommendations.

State agriculture minister Jitu Vaghani, energy minister Rushikesh Patel and GSFC's chairman M.K. Das and managing director Rajender Kumar also attended. The chief minister said the initiative would help farmers improve the quality of their produce, add value and reach global markets; Vaghani said much research had gone into the products and that they were priced reasonably while aiming to protect soil and crop quality.

GSFC plans to sell the range through its existing Kisan Suvidha Kendra outlets and other authorised dealers, and says it is also developing balanced nutrient products and bio-fertilisers.

AgroPages notes that the launch follows a wider pattern of Indian fertiliser cooperatives and state-owned chemical companies moving into branded crop protection, a segment led by private firms such as UPL, PI Industries and Dhanuka Agritech and by the Indian arms of Bayer, Syngenta and Corteva. State-backed entry could increase price competition at the retail level, particularly for generic active ingredients such as fipronil, where GSFC's Tufani Fipro will compete with products already sold by several manufacturers.

Source: AgroPages