If you ask Bayer East Africa management what is the main difference between their company’s business model and that of most other players in the market for Agrochemicals, they will answer “While the traditional business model in this market is product driven and supply-pushed, ours is the exact opposite: Customer-driven, demand-pulled”. While Bayer East Africa is certainly not the only company to have such business model, it is true that this is their business model, reflected in their strategy and moves in the market. With a focus on emerging countries and niche markets, Bayer East Africa manages a portfolio of many active ingredients.
In well attended seminars on their products, this was well seen. Speaking to the growers, Mr. Leonard Kipchumba, said, “Bayer East Africa is focused on helping its customers cultivate business growth through the development, marketing and distribution of innovative, high quality chemical and nonchemical solutions for today’s dynamic agro science marketplace”.
The start of the seminar focused on two trusted fungal control products that have been in the Kenyan ornamental market for some time. Mr. Kipchumba highlighted that Luna Traguility, whose unparalled efficacy on the most problematic diseases goes beyond the achievements 0f today’s fungicide with improved quality, longer vase life, less waste and increased marketability. “Luna likes to work on a broads spectrum of foliar diseases giving excellent control of the powdery mildew species and botrytis, he added.
In addition to this trusted fungicide, Mr. Kichumba said, the company has the best Downy Mildew program. Mr. Kipchumba spoke of the trusted well known and now even better Previcur energy. He said the product has a combined and enhanced efficacy, a perfect tool for resistance management with root and growth stimulant effect. It is an induction of systemic induced resistance and elimination of stem and overwintering downy mildew.
After the start off, he requested growers to follow up with the new standard for downy mildew control, Infinito. He said the product has a powerful protection, it is convenient to use and gives a healthy produce. It has a early curative against spore germination sporangia elongation and germ tube penetration. This makes it the perfect protection for your flowers.
Bayer East Africa has two late curative products for downy that deal with intra-cellular infection level when symptoms are visible to the eye. Melody Duo, a long lasting activity that offer growers more harmony and control, a curative and protective activity in addition to resistance management. Lastly, Verita will offer growers more nights of good sleep included. This is due to its two active ingredients which join together to offer outstanding curative and systemic acquired resistance against downy mildew.
Mr. Kipchumba assured growers of products that better reflect their focus in marketing products that can generate higher crop yield and marketable quality through metabolism stimulation, nutritional optimization and other noticeable effects such as resistance to abiotic stress that could improve crop profitability. Bayer East Africa has a significant position on the global market for fungicides and insecticides and is now retailing four of their leading products into the Kenyan market:
In one of the seminars, the guest speaker Mr. Anthony Songoro took growers through the Bayer philosophy to growers. “Our plan is to work with growers not to offer curate but to prevent plants from diseases. Growers see far more of their disease free crop reaching optimum maturity, enabling them to harvest large quantities of higher quality flowers and meet the demands of the market. But we at Bayer East Africa go an extra mile to understand the consumer who expects top quality produce all year round and sustainability.” Therefore some products like Luna contribute to reducing ecological foot print to ensure healthy, happy flowers that have benefited from the outstanding efficacy of the products.
Old is gold as it was proved by Mr. Kipchumba. Speaking of the perfect fit for botrytis control, Mr Kipchumba to enjoy the uniqueness of Teldor WG 50. Teldor is in a unique chemical class and mode of action making it a perfect tool for resistance management, he said. Adding, “It has strong preventive activity and works optimally in a wide range of temperature ranging from low to high. Being lipolilic in nature makes spray deposits bond to the waxy layer of the cuticle and exhibits long lasting activity”. The products loco-systemic action properties make a high proportion of the active stay where it is targeted for perfect control of botrytis. Its activity is independent of temperature and has long lasting activity. This unique feature assures Teldor protects flowers in the green house, cold room, during shipment, at the auction, the supermarket and in the vase.
He advised growers to apply the product just before harvesting to enjoy its long lasting activity to the vase.
Growers interactively discussed of their experience in the field. The growers agreed they needed products which offer the best long lasting efficacy from less spays. They need products which can live happily with biological control agents, which are safe to users, consumers and the environment. Mr. Maina Ngunju Floriculture Manager assured grower that Luna fitted in their description. He assured them that all their products were available with their distributors (Elgon Kenya Ltd and Amiran Kenya Ltd) who were well represented in the seminar.
Present during the meeting were all Bayer East Africa technical sales representative among others who interacted with the growers for more technical consultative personalised meetings after the seminar. Growers unanimously thanked Bayer East Africa for the initiative to opend up the Pandora box. The countrywide seminars were held in Kitengela, Nakuru, Nyahururu, and Naivasha. They will also be held at Mt kenya, Thika, Eldoret and Nanyuki.
