Our enduring aim is to support agriculture in meeting the growing global demand for abundant, nutritious, safe and affordable food

There are today over 7 billion people in the world and by 2050, the number will reach 9 billion. However, arable land will not increase at the same pace. This means farmers will need to produce 70% more food on less land than before1. Therefore, agricultural productivity per area unit must increase to ensure a stable food supply to feed the growing population in the world. In this context it is necessary to incorporate improved production methods, new technologies and strengthened crop varieties in balance with the use of various crop protection products.

Crop damage brought on plant protection in general and the protection of crops against plant diseases in particular are responsible for losses of 20 to 40 percent of global agricultural productivity2. Major famines have resulted from outbreak of pests before crop protection products such as chemical crop protection products were used. Our crop protection solutions are dedicated to maximizing crop health and play a key role in preventing damage from pests and weeds. As a result, our crop protection solutions help to secure a stable harvest on limited farmland, thereby providing consumers with food at an affordable price.

Farming without the use of chemical fertilizers and chemical crop protection products are yet unable to provide a stable yield. The reality is that there are still technical challenges in promoting only organic methods to source adequate volumes of crops.

Sumitomo Chemical contributes to providing consumers with a stable and sufficient food supply through the development and supply of crop protection solutions including chemical crop protection products which help improve agricultural productivity.

Our aim is to alleviate and streamline the workload required in farming land

Faced with a decline and an aging of the farming population, it is absolutely essential to reduce the workload and time needed to farm in order to achieve further growth in the agricultural industry. Through new varieties and chemical crop protections products, yield of rice have more than doubled since 1961 (FAO). Herbicide use could eliminate the need for 90% of strenuous hand weeding in Africa, which can save 24 billion hours and produce an additional 40 million tones of crops3. This demonstrates chemical crop protection products significantly contribute in reducing the hours spent on farming the land. By continuously developing new crop protection solutions that are easy to use and are effective in modest amounts, Sumitomo Chemical helps reduce the workload in farming land.

The crop protection industry is highly regulated to ensure safety of our products for users, consumers and the environment

Modern chemical crop protection products have unique modes of action, are based on the latest advances in science, and are designed to target noxious pests and weeds with minimal or no adverse effects to human health or non-target species. Their properties include low toxicity, low residue remaining on treated crops and quick breakdown in the environment.

All crop protection products are supported by intensive testing for their health effects and environmental impact. All such studies undergo strict regulatory scrutiny before the products can be released for sale. Product labels must specify in detail the amounts, methods and timing of any applications, and the precautions that must be observed in their usage. The industry strives to ensure that such proper usage applications are followed. Very conservative assumptions and margins of safety are built into the regulatory review process to ensure that the products when used according to label directions will not harm the health of farmers, their workers or consumers of the treated produce, or cause environmental damage.

Our enduring commitment to protecting food safety and security

Sumitomo Chemical values cordial communication with all parties involved. Our business practice is to assure all necessary information is provided to ensure that our products are used correctly. At the same time we have been careful to apply the requests and suggestions that we receive.

In addition to the knowledge and experience gained over the decades, Sumitomo Chemical will apply state-of-the-art biotechnology and innovative technologies to undertake safety assessment. Our work will not be limited to chemical crop protection products and will also work on the development of Integrated Pest Management, such as biological crop protection products and other crop protection solutions derived from natural material as we meet the challenge to eliminate pests and weeds in new ways. Sumitomo Chemical will vigorously push forward with developing a user-friendly product with a reasonable price that is not only highly efficient and safe but also environmentally sound.

• IPM (Integrated Pest Management) -- It reduces or minimizes risk to people’s health and the environment by adopting a broad-based approach to control the outbreak of pests and weeds.

• 1,3: Feeding Nine Billion: The Issues Facing Global Agriculture. CropLife International
• 2: Springer Science+Business Media B.V. & International Society for Plant Pathology 2012