Bayer CropScience, the new company that combines the resources of Bayer Crop Protection division and Aventis CropScience, was launched the other night at the Fort in Makati City.

With the merging of resources - technical, financial and otherwise - the new company sees as an advantage its having a "balanced range of high-performance products covering the entire market spectrum for crop protection products."

Joe Reynolds, Bayer CropScience country head, says that the company holds excellent positions both in the classic agriculture business - including insecticides (number 1), herbicides (number 3). Another advantage is that the company has a strong regional presence.

Aside from its crop protection products, Bayer CropScience has two other business groups, namely; Environmental Science which combines professional pest control with the home and garden business; and BioScience which comprises the seed and biotechnology businesses.

Reynolds said that Bayer CropScience operates close to the trade and to end users.  This is a key competitive factor since close contact between manufacturers and customers brings maximum benefit.  That's why the company has chosen the launch slogan "Your Partner for Growth."

The company's crop protection plant located in Canlubang is claimed to be the largest and most modern of its kind in the Philippines, producing more than half of the country's crop protection requirements.

It also has an 8.5 hectare research station in Calauan, Laguna, which is the company's field research and development center for all Southeast Asian countries.

The crop protection products are particularly addressed to major crops, including rice, vegetables, mango and other plantation crops.  These include insecticides, molluscicides, herbicides, fungicides and seed treatments.

BioScience is focused on advancements in biotechnology, seed breeding developments and hybridization while Environmental Science covers lawn care, termite control, control of mosquitoes and other disease spreading vectors.