Chennai-based Tropical Agro to focus on organic range of products

Chennai-based crop protection and plant nutrition firm Tropical Agrosystem (India) Pvt Ltd (Tropical Agro) plans to focus on organic range of products based on seaweeds and microbes. 

“We will tap the local biodiversity to develop these products. These are solutions that will add value to the soil microbiome. They are critical for developing the yield potential of indigenous cropping systems,” said VK Jhaver, Chairman, Tropical Agro. 

The products of the company, founded in 1969 and part of privately owned “The Jhaver Group”, will include bio-stimulants based on seaweed and a few other plant nutrients in easy-to-apply formulations aligned with FCO (Fertilizer Control Order) requirements.

Patent for biostimulant

The Chennai-based firm, which earlier this year got a patent for its biostimulant composition NASA and its method of preparation, has set up a separate vertical to promote exports of its products.   

“In the past, our focus has been more on India, while we have exported to a few countries in West Asia, West Africa and Brazil. From 2022, however, we have instituted a separate vertical to focus specifically on exports,” said Jhaver. 

Since the company’s products are inputs for agriculture, it has sought permission from various governments as part of its plan to enter new regions. 

Dwelling on NASA, the Tropical Agro chairman said the biostimulant is used for increasing the yield and quality of all crops. “It Improves tolerance against stress and is safe for humans, animals, non-target organisms as well as the environment,” he said. 

2011 restructuring

The product does not leave any residue behind and is compatible with chemical pesticides and fertilizers. The biostimulant can be used across all crops including cereals, wheat, paddy, sugarcane, cotton, oilseeds, pulses, vegetables, fruit crops, and plantation crops.

Millions of farmers are using this product, commercialised in May 2012, the company’s chairman said, adding  “many patent products are in the pipeline and in different stages of development.”  

Though Tropical Agro began its journey in 1969, it was in 2011 that the company rationalised its product portfolio and restructured the organisation. 

“Some of our key initiatives were venturing into bio-organic farming solutions, launching a new business vertical for residue-free farming, adding plant nutrition and post-harvest verticals, forging global partnerships, strengthening distribution network across the country and improving the supply chain efficiency through marketing tie-ups,” the company’s chairman said. 

Pioneer in seed coating tech

Today, the company has built an effective farm-to-consumer value chain reaching over 8 crore farmers through its 20,000 distributor and retail partners, over 4,000 field assistance and 1,100 employees.

Tropical Agro has set up seven state-of-the art manufacturing units including at Sikandrabad in Uttar Pradesh, in Coimbatore and suburban Ambattur in Chennai – both in Tamil Nadu. Other units are in Bengaluru in Karnataka, Sanand in Gujarat, Kishangarh in Rajasthan, and Loni in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh. All the seven manufacture various formulations from pesticides to insecticides to fungicides to biostimulants, biofertilizers and biocontrol agents.  

The company, which has over 300 technological offerings and 270 product formulations, is a pioneer in Rhizobium biofertilizer seed coating technology in the country.  

Tropical Agro, which also has two research and development hubs, is among India’s top 5 brands in the agri space with its consolidated turnover of $147 million making it the third-largest in the crop protection and plant nutrition sector.