Clariant supports sustainable agriculture in China through dedicated specialty chemical solutions
- From seeds to fruits - full portfolio of products offer protection for crops and improved yields
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) estimates that 805 million people suffered from hunger from 2012-2014, among them 98 percent were living in developing countries. Adding to the problem on the supply side is limited arable agricultural land that has not proliferated fast enough to ensure steady increase in harvest. These issues, coupled with the effects of climate change and the public's growing awareness on food safety, have driven a strong demand for sustainable methods to improve harvest and food quality.
"As one of the most populous countries, China also faces challenges in its agricultural industry, like diminishing arable land and food safety. Enhancing the sustainability perspective of the agricultural industry helps to make the most efficient use of resources and improve worldwide nutrition. As a global leading specialty chemical company and with our commitment to be the true China Insider, Clariant will leverage our global expertise and local capability to offer the extensive portfolio of products and solutions to contribute to improve the sustainable agriculture in China," said Jan Kreibaum, Head of Clariant Greater China and Korea.
Clariant's products and solutions dedicated to the agricultural industry mainly include seed protection solution, catalysts used in ammonia production, adjuvants for pesticide and agri-film additives. Seed treatments are a very efficient and environmentally friendly way to apply pesticides and are the fastest growing segment of the crop protection market. The coloration of seed treatment products is a necessity to avoid accidental consumption of treated seeds by humans or animals. Products such as the Agrocer® pigments and Agrocer disp. pigment preparations offer a cost-effective solution for seed and fertilizer coloration. The Agrocer disp. pigment dispersions are state-of-the-art non-hazardous and environmentally friendly products with optimized color strength and are highly compatible with common seed treatment and pesticide formulations as well as seed coating products. The majority of Agrocer products include pigments that are tolerance exempted under EPA 40 CFR § 180.920 allowing their use in seed treatment formulations in all major markets.
During the growing stage of crops, fertilizers are often applied to enhance yield. However, the high energy use for ammonia synthesis puts a huge burden on the agricultural industry. It is estimated that the annual global production of 138 million tons of fertilizer products in 2014 required more than 5 exajoule, equivalent up to 2% of the world total energy consumption. To save more energy during the process of ammonia synthesis, Clariant has introduced the highly active and innovative AmoMax®-10 catalyst. Thanks to its special design, significantly less energy is needed to produce ammonia while optimizing the ammonia yield. The product enables the ammonia industry to achieve excellent performance, energy savings and production efficiency. Assuming that all ammonia production facilities in China would apply AmoMax-10, we could save 1,300 GWh annually which equals the energy need of 170,000 households.
In the application of pesticide to protect crop, Clariant's adjuvant Synergen® OS ensures significantly more increase in effectiveness and actual agricultural yields alike. Due to the high efficiency, farmers can save active ingredients, water and energy while reducing their workload. Manufactured almost completely from renewables, Synergen OS is safe, biodegradable, user friendly and causes no eye or skin irritations.
Among the different means to boost productivity, use of agri-film in cultivation of agricultural products in greenhouses has achieved significant results in improving yields. Clariant is known for its innovative polymer additives solutions offered to agri-film producers in China. Clariant's AddWorks® AGC additives used in agri-film production are customized to provide outstanding protection and improved growing conditions for crops. Based on Hostavin® NOW technology, it has been specially designed to fit comfortably to modern Greenhouse Film market needs: it combines very strong resistance to agrochemicals with efficient UV protection, and enables extension of service life of the film to 2 years or more.
"Nutrition is one of the megatrends that will significantly impact the market for specialty chemicals. Through Clariant's specialized products and solutions dedicated to crop protection and yield improvement right from the growth of seeds through to fruits, we're doing our part to contribute to the sustained development of the agricultural industry in China," summarized Kreibaum.
