New packaging launched to protect farmers from counterfeits
Bangalore, August 25, 2023 – Godrej Agrovet Limited’s (GAVL) Crop Protection Business today announced that its biostimulant, Combine, has completed 25 years of enabling Indian grape farmers grow better-quality grapes.
Today, India is the 11th largest exporter of grapes in the world with ~1.2 Lacs farmers growing grapes across ~3 Lac acres of total land every year. With 70% of total grapes sown being exported, the total exports have surged at a CAGR of 12.6% in the last decade. And it is herein that Diamore Combine has aided Indian farmers achieve the right berry size and colour for exports whereas Supershakti Combine has aided achieve elongated variety of grapes for domestic market.
Commenting on 25 years of Combine, Balram Singh Yadav, Managing Director, GAVL, said “In a tropical country like India, Combine has been instrumental in aiding farmers get better yield and quality for their grapes. We serve ~90K farming families who grow grapes in close to ~1.5 Lacs acres of land every year. We are happy to have contributed towards putting India on the global grapes map and bringing prosperity to grape growing farmers.”
Aligned with the guidelines set by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), ‘Combine’ has been a critical instrument in elevating grape quality. With the right application, grape growers are able to achieve premium parameters such as a bunch weight of 400-500 g, berry diameter of 18 mm and above, uniform berry colour, and improved shelf life. These attributes, in tandem with an ability to reduce impact of disease spreading pests like powdery mildew and downy mildew.
Burjis Godrej, Executive Director & COO, Crop Protection Business, GAVL affirmed, “Grapes stand as a significant contributor to India’s export prowess, holding immense potential to bolster our agricultural economy. At Godrej Agrovet, we take pride in our role as enablers, and our product ‘Combine’ emerges as a key to realizing this potential. By enabling grape farmers to grow their harvest aligned to the global quality standards, ‘Combine’ empowers them to attain exceptional grape quality.”
Considering that the grape is an important fruit with high export potential, it is imperative to have a robust system in place to tackle pests as around 50-80% of the yield is lost due to pest attack. As an integral component of the Integrated Disease Management approach, Combine offers solutions that not only target specific pests but also address potential disease issues in grape cultivation.
The company also launched a celebratory pack marking 25 years of Combine and its commitment to better farming in addition to protecting farmers from counterfeit products. Combine’s new pack is user-friendly and comes in a safe packaging bottle. It has a tamper-evident seal which blasts open and falls when anyone tries to open the bottle. The label has complex watermarks to avoid duplication and the bottle also has a hologram – a unique 9-digit code on each and every bottle to ensure authenticity. While the hologram also has smartly embedded letter ‘G’ to assure the customer that the product is genuine, ‘Braille’ marking on the neck reading danger has also been added for the visually impaired.
Commenting on the same, Rajavelu N.K, CEO, Crop Protection Business, GAVL said, ‘As pests and diseases threaten grape yields, there is a need to popularize Integrated Disease Management in farming community by imparting training to farmers at grass root level. Right from usage of recommended quantity to authentic product, industry-wide collaboration in need of an hour. Additionally, innovative use of biostimulants as an effective integrated pest management tool in horticulture will come a long way in increasing contribution of grapes to overall exports of the country ”
The burgeoning field of biostimulants in Indian agriculture is projected to significantly enhance crop productivity. These compounds have gained increasing importance in modern crop management due to heightened concerns about synthetic chemicals and the impact of climate change. The inclusion of biostimulant regulation in the Fertilizer Control Order since 2021 is a significant step towards responsible and judicious product usage.
