UPL Collaborates with MMAG; Announces Launch of KEVUKA, Flupyrimin Granular Insecticide, to Protect Rice Yields

In order to fight the most damaging rice pests, UPL Ltd., a global provider of sustainable agricultural solutions, today announced that it will introduce KEVUKA in India. KEVUKA contains the patented active ingredient Flupyrimin. The launch will take place during the Kharif crop sowing season, which normally begins in June and is when rice is sown as the main crop.

500 farmers and business partners attended the launch in Raichur, Karnataka, where Dr. AG Sreenivas, professor and head of the department of entomology at UAS Raichur, gave a presentation on the evolving state of paddy pest management. The audience witnessed how this revolutionary molecule, which effectively controls both YSB and BPH, would enhance agricultural income.

Growers may now have certain protections during the most critical growth phases of their rice crop thanks to the introduction of KEVUKA.

UPL Ltd. will offer the pesticide KEVUKA 2% GR, which contains the active ingredient flupyrimin. Teams from UPL are prepared to connect with the 44 million hectares of paddy land in India and its millions of growers.

Effective against significant rice pests including Brown Plant Hopper (BPH) and Yellow Stem Borer, KEVUKA is a new pesticide with distinct biological features and long residual control (YSB). Flupyrimin has been proven via extensive demonstration trials to protect rice yields against YSB & BPH damage while also improving crop health, enhancing farmers' economic resilience and productivity. Additionally effective in pest populations resistant to current pesticides is KEVUKA.

"Flupyrimin is a breakthrough technology offering a leap forward in pest management for rice producers," said Mike Frank, president and chief operating officer at UPL. “The launch of KEVUKA in India is another major turning point in our collaboration with MMAG under our OpenAg vision, with market access enhanced due to UPL's wide-range distribution networks and distinctive branding strategy.”

"India is the world's second-biggest producer of rice and the biggest exporter of this staple crop," said Ashish Dobhal, UPL Region Head for India. The local growers have been looking for a single, effective treatment against many rice pests. UPL is providing unmatched control of YSB and BPH with KEVUKA.

Flupyrimin was discovered through a collaboration between MMAG and the Prof. Kagabu group. It was first registered in Japan in 2019.