Good for consumers and the environment: BASF presents new solutions for sustainable fruit and vegetable growing

* BASF at the Fruit Logistica from February 3rd to 5th
* “Smart Protection” programs for maximum harvesting flexibility and quality
* Ecoefficiency-Analysis to measure the sustainability of fruit and vegetables

Fresh fruit and vegetables are healthy. Reason enough for consumers to help themselves from the fruit and vegetable shelves. All the same, an increasing number of consumers are not thinking only of their health when buying but also want to do something good for the environment. Farmers and dealers must make allowance for this trend and at the same time work profitably. From February 3rd to 5th, BASF will be attending the leading international fresh produce trade fair “Fruit Logistica” in Berlin, where it will present solutions tailored entirely to these expectations.



With “Smart Protection”, BASF has developed a product program which takes account of present-day conditions in agriculture. High quality, environmentally friendly production at reasonable costs, crop protection residues that meet the legally required limit values – farmers nowadays have to fulfill these conditions all at once. The ideas behind “Smart Protection” programs are maximum flexibility for the choice of harvesting dates and reliable protection against diseases – plus optimization of residue levels. One example of this is the intelligent combination of synthetic and biological crop protection products – biological products on their own are not enough to control plant diseases adequately, but they do form a useful and valuable supplement which serves to improve the residue levels and allow greater flexibility in the choice of harvesting dates.



However, more than modern crop protection programs will be necessary if agriculture is to become effectively sustainable. All persons involved – from producers to retailers – must work together as partners. Under the motto “Living Food Quality Together”, BASF helps its partners to guarantee sustainability along the entire value creation chain – from the implementation of sustainable crop growing in the producer countries to the formulation of a comprehensive sustainability strategy.



An instrument already used several times in these cooperations is the BASF Ecoefficiency-Analysis, which has been certified by TÜV and NSF. It takes a close-up look at the entire lifetime of a product, and comes repeatedly to surprising results. The most recent Ecoefficiency- Analysis compared organic apples with Braeburn apples produced by integrated control measures. It took into account all influential parameters, from production of the raw materials for agricultural inputs to final disposal. The holistic analysis of factors such as use of resources, emissions to air, water and soil, land requirement and toxicity and risk potential came to startling results: Apples produced in a controlled integrated way were, all in all, more sustainable than organically produced apples.

The Ecoefficiency-Analysis is an acknowledged method which can help the partners in the food supply chain to identify the areas in which fine adjustments can be made to costs and ecology. Visitors to the BASF stand at the Fruit Logistica can carry out calculations for themselves with a model Ecoefficiency-Analysis and learn, for example, how individual factors can affect sustainability over the lifetime of an apple. Experts from BASF will be there to answer questions.

Podium Discussion “Is Organic also Ecological? Prospects for a more sustainable agriculture”



The changes in consumer expectations and their consequences for farmers, retailers and the industry are among the central themes for the BASF Podium Discussion on February 4th. What are the advantages and disadvantages of organic and conventional production? How can it be ensured that all partners along the value creation chain act more sustainably and at the same time make customers aware of this? BASF has invited a number of renowned experts in various fields: Rudolf Behr, who is one of Germany’s largest vegetable growers and engaged in both organic and conventional production; Dr. Ludger Breloh, responsible for the purchase of organic fruit and vegetables for the REWE Group; Michael Miersch, a scientific journalist and author who has raised a number of controversial issues, e.g. with his book “Organic Food and Eco-Cult”; and Michael Ceranski, Head of BASF Crop Protection in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and the Benelux countries. The discussion is moderated by the agricultural journalist Olaf Deininger.

Further information at http://www1.messe-berlin.de/vip8_1/website/Internet/Internet/www.fruitlogistica/pdf/content/Gesamtprogramm.pdf



A press photo is available at www.basf.com/pressphoto-database, under the keyword ”Agricultural Products” or by entering the search term ”Fruit Logistica”.

Photos of the podium discussion are available on February 5th.



About the Crop Protection division

With sales of €3.4 billion in 2008, BASF’s Crop Protection division is a leader in crop protection and a strong partner to the farming industry providing well-established and innovative fungicides, insecticides and herbicides. Farmers use these products and services to improve crop yields and crop quality. Other uses include public health, structural/urban pest control, turf and ornamental plants, vegetation management, and forestry. BASF aims to turn knowledge rapidly into market success. The vision of BASF’s Crop Protection division is to be the world’s leading innovator, optimizing agricultural production, improving nutrition, and thus enhancing the quality of life for a growing world population. Further information can be found on the web at www. agro.basf.com .



About BASF

BASF is the world’s leading chemical company: The Chemical Company. Its portfolio ranges from chemicals, plastics and performance products to agricultural products, fine chemicals and oil and gas. As a reliable partner BASF helps its customers in virtually all industries to be more successful. With its high-value products and intelligent solutions, BASF plays an important role in finding answers to global challenges such as climate protection, energy efficiency, nutrition and mobility. BASF posted sales of more than €62 billion in 2008 and had approximately 97,000 employees as of the end of the year. Further information on BASF is available on the Internet at www.basf.com.