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Global player sees
(South) Africa rising
A
s one of the leading global chemical companies, the core
strategy of BASF stands for providing customers not
with mere chemicals, but with solutions for a sustainable
future. This corporate strategy resonates in the company’s
global crop protection strategy and it also fits Africa – and South
Africa – perfectly.
BASF Crop Protection in Africa is divided into six country clusters,
with headquarters in Midrand for South Africa, Lusaka for Southern
Africa, Nairobi for East Africa, Casablanca for Maghreb and West
Africa while Cairo is the headquarters for Egypt and the Middle
East. Although other BASF business units – for example construc-
tion, chemicals and animal feeds – are also trying to start their busi-
nesses on the continent, the agricultural solutions division is the
forerunner in Africa.
‘Compared to Europe and North America, Africa offers a hugely
fragmented market, mainly consisting of row crops like grains as
well as vegetables and fruits. The African countries that BASF
finds most interesting are South Africa, Egypt and Morocco
among others,’ Mr Dirk Hartmann, director of Business Man-
agement: BASF Crop Protection, Africa and Middle East, told
SA Graan/Grain
.
During an Africa and Middle East East press conference on 7 Sep-
tember at Limburgerhof in Germany, Hartmann placed emphasis on
BASF’s Africa Rising 2020 strategy. The seven pillars of the strategy
are centred around agricultural solutions and are as follows:
1. Crop protection
Development of products especially for Africa and finding
products that would fit into producer needs in Africa as well as key
projects on the way for African countries.
2. Innovation beyond crop protection
Biological insecticides, inoculants for soybean, groundnuts,
fungicides as well as digital farming and development of nitrogen
management of fertilisers.
3. Traits and seed partnerships to achieve critical mass
Work closely together with seed companies and NGO’s to develop
cultivars and finance for small farmers.
4. Farmer focus
Create intimacy to develop products that fit the need of produ-
cers by utilising focus groups and demonstration platforms.
5. Sustainability and compliance
Ecological, social and economic topics, including product
stewardship.
6. Business excellence
Implement new business models in our key African countries.
7. People
Live our core values as basis of the BASF culture.
A South African approach
In the midst of various mergers and acquisitions of global chemi-
cal companies and the volatile economic and political climate in
South Africa,
SA Graan/Grain
was interested to know if BASF
has the critical mass to continue working on innovative solutions
and whether it still has an appetite for developing markets like
South Africa?
RELEVANT
JOHAN SMIT,
managing editor:
SA Graan/Grain
Africa in context
Africa is the second largest continent on earth.
Growing population: More than 50% of the
African population is under the age of 25.
75% of the Africa continent’s 1 200 million ha
is potential crop land.
Strong trend towards urbanisation in Africa will
boost demand for traded agricultural produce.
Africa offers large growth potential for agriculture
and its suppliers.
Increasing number of countries with
GDP growth > 5%.
BASF’s country focus allows it to capture
most opportunities in diverse crops.