BASF has opened its new agricultural research station in Loni Kand, Pune, India.

The facility, which will be the group's fifth such facility worldwide, joining the four already operating in Brazil, Spain, Germany and the Philippines, will focus on herbicides, fungicides, and insecticides, as well as on solutions that go beyond classical crop protection.

Other areas of focus could include challenges such as weeds and pests specific to India or climate stress such as drought, flood cycles, and heat stress.

The German chemical giant said it selected Pune as the site for the center because of its ideal location in the southern Indian climate zone as well as its close proximity to local universities and research institutions.

Markus Heldt, president of the Crop Protection division, said the center will contribute to developing tailor-made solutions for India's agriculture while moving toward BASF's strategic goal to drive innovate from Asia Pacific, both for the region and the world.

The team in India will contribute to these goals by driving the development of new active ingredients, new formulations, and technologies, Heldt added.

BASF's new innovation campus at Mumbai, due to become operational in 2017, will also conduct research in crop protection, employing local expertise. The two R&D facilities will share intelligence and research findings and generate synergies while working to develop new crop protection solutions.

Altogether, BASF said it spends more than €500 million annually on global agricultural R&D.