From January to April 2022, all plants of Firma August JSC produced 18,7 million liters of plant protection products, which is about a quarter more than during the same period last year. This shows that manufacturers are able to increase the output of domestic pesticides.
The increased production growth rates were largely due to the energy crisis in China and the European Union, which began last year, explain in "August". Because of this, the work of many chemical industry enterprises was destabilized, and interruptions and price increases began on the chemical products market. Therefore, pesticide manufacturers began to conclude contracts for the supply of the components they needed in advance, which later allowed to create stocks and avoid a global shortage of production raw materials. However, a significant part of the deliveries was shifted to a later date, and at the beginning of 2022, the production capacities of Avgust were loaded more than usual.
“Certainly, now we are living in a new reality: there are logistical difficulties with the delivery of raw materials, there is tension with the supply of a number of auxiliary prescription components, mainly from Europe,” says Dmitry Ilyinsky, Deputy Director for Production at JSC Firma August. – To eliminate dependence on scarce positions, our scientific division is currently doing a great job of selecting alternatives that are more affordable, but meet all our requirements. Even when replacing the used auxiliary components with full analogues, the quality of the resulting drugs should be comprehensively checked, including by methods of accelerated storage. Alternative options for logistics supply chains are being formed. Our specialists are exploring the possibilities of cooperation with new manufacturers of spare parts and components to ensure the operability of existing imported equipment. We also diversify suppliers of consumables. We are adapting."
The company "August" operates three plants in the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus for the formulation of plant protection products, and in addition, a joint Russian-Chinese venture "Augusta" operates in the PRC for the synthesis of active ingredients - Hubei Avgust Pesticide Co. Ltd. Its products are already supplied to the formulation plants of Augusta. At the same time, the construction and equipping of new production shops continues. In the future, more than 30 active ingredients will be produced here, which minimizes the risks of disrupting the supply of key raw materials for JSC Firma August.
“Every year we increase the range of manufactured products,” says Dmitry Ilyinsky. “We are trying to provide the consumer with the fullest range of plant protection products and are preparing to increase production volumes next season.”