German-based chemical company BASF SE on Wednesday announced it had inaugurated its own company in Cambodia to offer a range of solutions for diverse industries, after working through distribution partners since 2014.
The company’s main businesses in Cambodia will be chemicals (monomers and intermediates), performance materials (polyurethane solutions), nutrition and health and agricultural solutions.
BASF managing director in Thailand and Indochina Petrus Ng said on Wednesday his firm aims to bring a wide range of innovative and sustainable solutions to support the growth of Cambodia’s strategic industries – including furniture, rubber, footwear, nutrition and health and agriculture.
“Our customers in Cambodia will enjoy the support of BASF’s global network, expertise and innovation.”
According to a BASF release, three new crop protection products will be initially launched, empowering farmers and growers with more tools at their disposal to manage their crops.
These include Basagran Herbicide for broadleaf weeds and sedges in rice, Tetris Herbicide for weed grass in rice and Regent 50 SC Insecticide for stem borers, thrips and leaf folders in rice.
By entering the Cambodia market, BASF will maintain a team of local technical specialists in the Kingdom, who will be supported by BASF’s network of experts in Southeast Asia and around the globe.
Additionally, BASF aims to engage with both distribution partners and farmers directly to conduct training sessions on sustainable agricultural practices – including proper selection and safe storage, application and disposal of crop protection products.
BASF’s agricultural solutions Asean business director Martin Wolf said though Cambodia has quickly become a leading exporter of high-quality premium rice, a number of challenges remain for the country’s agricultural sector, including relatively low levels of growers’ technology use and understanding on how best to utilise innovations.
“We believe BASF is well suited to help address these challenges and are excited to help Cambodian farmers become more profitable and sustainable,” he said.
