Karawang, 7 August 2019 - In celebrating 45 years of Antracol’s existence in Indonesia, today Bayer provides counselings and assistances in fungicide application - followed by exercising fungicides mass spraying on rice, vegetables, corn, and tobacco, that involves 5,000 farmers throughout Indonesia at 100 locations simultaneously from Aceh to North Sulawesi. This latter activity was recorded in the Indonesian World Record Museum (MURI) as the largest spraying.

Mohan Babu, Director of PT Bayer Indonesia said, “Plant fungal diseases are one of the main threats to Indonesian agriculture, which could cause trillions of rupiah in losses suffered by Indonesian farmers and a decrease in national agricultural productivity by 70%. The purpose of this activity is to assist farmers in applying the Antracol fungicide appropriately. Bayer provides product knowledge training and safe use of fungicides, such as product handling when measuring, mixing, spraying, and the use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). It is hoped that the success and effectiveness of the product will be achieved as well as safety for farmers as applicators.”

Winarno Tohir, Chairperson of Andalan Fishermen and Farmers Community (KTNA) said, "A number of farmers have complained about the extreme weather that has happened lately, which is damaging their vegetable and food crops due to the emergence of plant fungal diseases. Not only it could lower the quality of the commodities produced, it could also lead to crop failure. Therefore, we positively welcome the socialization and assistance measures initiated by Bayer, with the hope that farmers will better understand how to deal with plant fungal diseases appropriately, so that their land productivity and economic income would increase."

Edy Purnawan, Director of Food Crops Protection, Ministry of Agriculture said, “The government welcomes the initiative of the private sector to provide assistance to farmers in overcoming various pests and plant diseases that disturb farmers’ productivity and welfare. Farmers tend to overuse pesticides in overcoming crop threats. With the Bayer initiative, farmers are given a scientific explanation of the right and safe dosage and use of pesticides, both for the environment and especially safe for the applicator, which is the farmer.”

Antracol is a contact fungicide produced by Bayer which has been marketed since 1974 and has been widely used by farmers of vegetables, fruits, flowers, secondary crops, plantation crops, and rice. Antracol has been assisting farmers in Indonesia for 45 years and is a market leader in the fungicide class.

Antracol has a broad spectrum, working to protect the diseases in various plants by inhibiting fungus/spores through various sides of the cell. In addition to effectively controlling plant diseases, another benefit gained from using Antracol is to stimulate plant growth so that plants are greener and more fertile. The higher nutrient content of Zinc++ in Antracol can improve plant growth, especially in young plants. Anthracol is a fungicide of all seasons, so it can be applied in both dry and rainy season.

Bayer is highly committed in maintaining the quality of its products. This is proven by the fact that Antracol has been assisting farmers and won their trust in helping to increase yields for 45 years.

***

Bayer: Science for A Better Life

Bayer is a global enterprise with core competencies in the Life Science fields of health care and agriculture. Its products and services are designed to benefit people by supporting efforts to overcome the major challenges presented by a growing and aging global population. At the same time, the Group aims to create value through innovation, growth and high earning power. Bayer is committed to the principles of sustainable development and to its social and ethical responsibilities as a corporate citizen. In fiscal 2018, the Group employed around 117,000 people and had sales of EUR 39.6 billion. Capital expenditures amounted to EUR 2.6 billion, R&D expenses to EUR 5.2 billion. For more information, go to www.bayer.com or www.bayer.co.id

Contact for Bayer Indonesia:

Laksmi Prasvita,
Head of Communications and Public Affairs
Email: Laksmi.prasvita@bayer.com

Visit our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/bayerindonesia