Godrej Agrovet Limited (GAVL) has tied up with Japanese firm Nissan Chemical Corporation to launch an advanced pest control product, Rashinban, for chilli farmers.
NK Rajavelu, CEO of Godrej Agrovet, said that the product works against three pests — thrips, mites and caterpillars — which attack the crop most during the flowering stage (45-60 days). “The agri-chemical market for chilli crop is pegged at ₹5,000 crore. Of this, the market for pesticides that work against the three pests would be around ₹1,200-1,500 crore. We are targeting a market share of 10 per cent in the next three-four years,” he said.
Rajavelu, who was here in connection with the global launch of the product here, said the late sowings in chilli-growing areas helped the company register good traction for the product. The product is priced at ₹2,900 an acre (for a dose of 400 ml an acre). “With the patent chemistry discovered and developed by the Japanese company, Rashinban is being launched for the first time globally to protect the chilli crop during the flowering stage,” a top GAVL executive said.
Pest menace
Indian chilli growers, who account for 36 per cent of the total global production, face the challenge of pests and diseases. “About 80 per cent of the chilli crop gets damaged at the nascent stage because of pests (thrips, leps, hoppers and mites),” he said.
“There are as many as 51 species of pests, and two species of mites and caterpillars, forcing the farmers to use up to 45 different pesticides,” he said. “The new product, Rashinban, provides quick knockdown of a wide range of pests in chilli in a single shot during the flowering stage,” Balram Singh Yadav, Managing Director, GAVL, said.
“Our new product, Rashinban, is recommended specifically for the active flowering stage of chilli plants to provide holistic efficacy. Along with the already existing products, Hanabi and Gracia, the addition of Rashinban in the portfolio will enable us to serve the entire value chain of chilli crop,” he said on Tuesday after the product’s launch. The company is presently importing the product from Japan in bulk and packing it here. It has exclusive rights for the product in the country.