Pacific Spot Limited Owner Suresh Babu Sirigeri Tells How Company Navigates Agchem Industry Through Tumultuous Years
16 June 2022 Pacific Spot Limited (PSL) was incorporated in Hong Kong in 1995, and since that time has learned to adjust to changes and challenges in the agchem industry. AgriBusiness GlobalTM talked with Owner Suresh Babu Seirigeri to find out how the company stays successful.
ABG: How has your company dealt with the evolving supply chain restraints for agchem?
SBS: In 2018, Pacific Spot Limited (PSL) set up a manufacturing plant in India for technical grade active ingredients and another unit for formulations. The PSL subsidiary unit, Agrisol India, became the first company in India to produce acetamiprid 99% with the highest purity. We also added other products like bifenthrin, diafenthiuron, imidacloprid, and thiamethoxam.
ABG: With different regions around the world increasing regulatory restrictions on agchem, how has your company responded?
SBS: PSL started working on semiochemicals by associating with ATGC Biotech, which is a start-up company with a strong focus on research and development of pheromones active ingredient synthesis. We are focusing on developing mating disruption technologies with insect behavioral modification. We are one of the only companies [in pheromones] with novel delivery methods like sprayable microcapsules, tablets, and paste. PSL will be taking to market three insect-specific pheromones for diamondback moth, fall armyworm, and tomato leafminer.
ABG: What are two challenges you see affecting the agchem industry in the next year?
SBS: One of the main challenges affecting the agchem industry is the increasing input cost of raw materials, due to the Russia-Ukraine war, COVID-19, exorbitant delays, and cost increases from shipping liners.
Also, farmers are not able to accept such a huge increase in all the crop inputs for agchem and fertilizers. There is a lingering worry that when the price correction comes, there will be strong resistance at the farm level globally.
ABG: How is your company helping with these issues?
SBS: Being a group of companies with a presence in China and India, we are catering to our customers’ requirements from both major hubs of agchem manufacturing. Apart from agchem, PSL is building up facilities to manufacture pheromone active ingredients and formulations that will enhance our approach so we can offer unique solutions.
ABG: What new products do you have coming out?
SBS: Having built the production capacity for generic insecticides, we are working on adding more fungicides and herbicides, among them pyraclostrobin, picoxystrobin, penoxsulam, flumioxazin, haloxyfop-P-methyl which are in the registration process.
ABG: Any developments in the biological arena beyond pheromones?
SBS: PSL is also working to develop biosolutions by investing in microbial platform with a focus on biostimulants and biocontrol.
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