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North America
In the US, 2021 was another year of weather extremes, as we experienced
Northern and Western drought, record flooding in central Midwest, and
record cold in the south. Fungicide sales were negatively affected, particularly
in California, while herbicide sales gained in many regions. In spite of the
weather conditions in the Midwest, growers produced record amounts of
corn and soybeans, with good yields and favorable prices.
Belchim USA was especially excited to launch Tough 5EC, based on
Belchim´s proprietary molecule, pyridate. It was launched into corn, mint
and chickpeas, and despite a late registration, it delivered strong results, a
signal of its very bright future.
Canada suffered severe drought conditions in the prairie provinces that
impacted yields of all cereal and canola crops, with production down 38%
and 35% respectively. Even in a difficult season, we could further develop
the sales of our growth regulator, Manipulator. Eastern Canada had a more
stable season, with strong performance, particularly for our ISK, Nisso and
proprietary brands. It was also exciting to launch Polaro into turf, where the
product concept was well received, and further builds on our turf portfolio,
alongside ISK´s Kabuto and Segway brands.
"The 2021 season posed many challenges with the continued global pandemic and
many uncertainties in the marketplace. However, we were able to work together and
overcome those issues to have a sell-out season of Tenchu in the rice market. The
combination of in-depth research and trials, marketing efforts and having boots on
the ground in key rice growing regions gave customers and growers the confidence to
switch from other chemistries to Tenchu."
Laura Crawford,
Regional Manager, California, South West, Mid-South, United States
"We had a very successful launch in 2021 for Tough 5 EC in the US corn market. Despite
working through nation-wide shutdowns due to Covid, we still treated over 250,000
acres of corn with Tough. The entire Belchim team helped make this a great launch and
have set us up for a special 2022 season."
David Young,
Regional Manager, Midwest
"Here in Canada, 2021 was a year of extremes with heatwaves and drought in the West
and record yields in parts of the East. However, our overall market has remained strong
and in my markets of potatoes, where we are the leader in phos acids, I was able to make
significant gain with the soil insecticide Thimet; and began to explore a new market
in dry beans with the copper fungicide Cueva. Despite Covid, our team’s effort and
determination enabled us to finish strong and exceed our budget."
Jamie Stringam,
Technical Sales & Business Advisor, Canada
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