Initium, the new fungicide products authorized by Romania in record time

Romania was the first country worldwide to authorize Initium products. Registration came at just the right moment, since wine growing in Romania is currently undergoing profound changes; Romanian winegrowers aim to establish themselves in the European market by improvements in quality. The innovative fungicide product will help the winegrowers to move over more quickly to profitable, high quality production. In addition to the Initium product for grapes, which will be available in Romania from 2010 onwards under the name "Enervin", authorization was also granted for "Zampro", an Initium-based fungicide for the specialty crops potatoes, tomatoes, cucumbers and onions. Both products were extensively tested in field trials and showed high selectivity and efficacy against late blight and downy mildew. "Because of the very favourable environmental profile of Initium, the products were authorized in the record time of four years", said Roland Ringel, Head of the Initium Global Development Project. And in fact, Initium products are not only in high degree environmentally compatible, they are also very user-friendly, they dissolve rapidly and dust-free in water, thus saving time and ensuring extra safety.

With the registration in Romania, BASF has reached an important milestone in its growth strategy for Central and Eastern Europe. Initium products will complement the portfolio alongside other modern compounds like the recently launched "Cabrio Top", a multi disease fungicide for grapes. Next to "Enervin", "Cabrio Top" is expected to become a driving force in plant protection for grapes in Romania. As early as 2010 Romanian wine and vegetable growers can benefit from BASF's comprehensive range of sustainable crop protection solutions. Forecasts indicate that Central and Eastern European countries such as Romania, Bulgaria, Russia and Ukraine will drive market growth in Europe during the next years. The crop protection market in Romania is expected to more than double over the period from 2007 to 2016. "Romanian farmers want to compete successfully on the European market. For this reason there is a great interest in innovative technologies", said Michael Hess, Head of Central Europe Crop Protection. "Our highly effective and environmentally compatible crop protection products will enable winegrowers and farmers to produce high yields and healthy crops with only minimum residue levels in accordance with EU regulations". Initium products are expected to be registered in the Netherlands and Great Britain in the first half of 2010. Other European countries will follow.