Rallis India Ltd. is confident that CAPSTONE and ZAAFU will be another step towards the prosperity of farmers

NEWS WAVE INDIA: Rallis India Ltd., a TATA Enterprise and a leading player in the Indian Agri inputs industry has announced the launch of two new products CAPSTONE and ZAAFU that targets two different segments of Neck Blast & Sheath Blight.

Rallis India Ltd. is well known for its fungicide portfolio throughout the market and envisages CAPSTONE and ZAAFU to contribute more than 10% to the fungicide category of its crop protection portfolio.

Since Paddy is one of the most important food crops and feeds more than 60% of the population of India Rallis felt it was imperative to introduce an agri-solution that protects the crop from deadly diseases like Neck Blast & Sheath Blight.

Neck Blast is one of the most destructive diseases of paddy. By the time anything is done to manage after it appears, it may go out of control due to super infestations. As neck (and node blast) affects the panicle directly, yield losses in affected plants are very high. To address this disease Rallis India introduces CAPSTONE for the first time to the Indian market. CAPSTONE is a mixture of Fenoxanil and Isoprothialane. Fenoxanil is a Melanin Biosynthesis Inhibitor while Isoprothiolane is a Lipid Biosynthesis Inhibitor. Farmers will now have access to a fenoxanil-based mixture, for the first time in India. This product has been developed in India in collaboration with Nihon Nohyaku, a Japanese firm engaged in the development of agrochemicals.

CAPSTONE has a unique mode of action. Being a mixture of 2 different action fungicides, CAPSTONE has a dual mode of action which gives it attributes like excellent efficacy, longer duration of disease control, no cross-resistance & prevention against resistance build-up. Thus, using CAPSTONE at the right time and in the right method will protect farmers from incurring losses due to Neck Blast.

CAPSTONE is to be used at 400ml/acre to target the neck blast of Paddy at the time of panicle emergence. The right time for application is at 10% panicle emergence, as at this time the crop is most susceptible to disease infestation & severe infestations may result in total crop loss within 36-72 hours. It is also effective on leaf blasts as well. If there is an incidence of Leaf blast in the crop, farmers can use it on the appearance of symptoms in the field.

ZAAFU is a unique formulation Systemic fungicide i.e. Hexaconazole 0.5% GR. Paddy Sheath blight is a widespread disease across India, and Zaafu provides an excellent solution for Sheath Blight and Sheath Rot diseases in Paddy. It is a Granule fungicide that is meant to be broadcasted in the field along with the first top dressing of fertilizer which not only gives ease in application but also saves the labour cost of fungicide spraying for farmers.

There are many new chemistries in the sheath blight segment, but ZAAFU stands out from the rest, in terms of its method of application, creating a niche in the segment. The cost of pesticide application by spraying is increasing and there is also a shortage of agriculture labourers nowadays. Zaafu solves this problem by bringing in a differentiated solution aiding farmers in saving costs as well as time.

ZAAFU is to be broadcasted in the field at 4kg/acre mixed with Urea/Other fertilizer at the time of first top dressing; if it is missed, Zaafu can be broadcasted in the field up to 60 days after transplanting mixed with Sand.

Speaking at the launch, the Managing Director & CEO of Rallis India Ltd. Mr Sanjiv Lal said,” At Rallis India, our mission is serving farmers through science. Rallis has a strong distribution network with 6800 plus dealers and 93,000 plus retailers, reaching a vast multitude of India’s farmers covering 80% of districts in the country.”

“We believe that the launch of CAPSTONE and ZAAFU will be a game-changer as they will help farmers reduce damage to crops significantly. We are committed to working relentlessly for the betterment of farmers by developing and providing products built on cutting-edge science and research”, he added.

Speaking at the launch, the Chief Operating Officer of Rallis India Ltd. Mr S Nagarajan said “Paddy is an important crop for the country. Rallis is proud to introduce two differentiated products to address the problem of neck blast and sheath blight that paddy farmers face. Both are being introduced in Kolkata for the first time ever by any company in India and we strongly believe that these new products will contribute significantly to increasing crop yield.”