BASF Agricultural Solutions Commissions BioHub Fermentation Plant to Scale Biological Crop Protection Manufacturing

Key Takeaways

• BASF Agricultural Solutions has commissioned the BioHub, a new fermentation plant at its Ludwigshafen site, representing an investment in the high double-digit million-euro range and marking a significant expansion of its biological crop protection manufacturing capability.
• The BioHub has begun producing two key biological active ingredients: Bacillus amyloliquefaciens, the basis of the biological fungicide Serifel®, and the main building block of Inscalis®, a novel insecticide derived from the fungal strain Penicillium coprobium.
• The facility uses fermentation to convert renewable raw materials such as glucose into biological active ingredients, using microorganisms in a process that BASF states enhances supply chain resilience and reduces reliance on external production partners.
• Bringing fermentation in-house directly links BASF's R&D expertise with industrial-scale manufacturing, enabling faster adaptation and commercialisation of biotechnological innovations within its BioSolutions™ portfolio.
• The BioHub is designed as a scalable and flexible platform, positioned to support continued growth in the global biological crop protection market and ensure consistent supply for customers across integrated crop protection programmes.

BASF Agricultural Solutions has successfully commissioned the BioHub, a new fermentation plant for biological and biotechnology-based crop protection products at its Ludwigshafen site. The investment, described as being in the high double-digit million-euro range, strengthens BASF's biological innovations portfolio and marks the start of in-house production of key active ingredients for two commercial products: the biological fungicide Serifel® and the novel insecticide Inscalis®.

BASF BioHub: What It Produces and How

The BioHub uses fermentation — a process in which microorganisms convert renewable raw materials such as glucose into target biological compounds — to manufacture active ingredients at industrial scale. Production of key biological active ingredients began this year, including Bacillus amyloliquefaciens, the bacterial basis of Serifel®, a biological fungicide, and the main building block of Inscalis®, a novel insecticide based on the fungal strain Penicillium coprobium. The products manufactured at the plant are intended to give farmers access to biological options that support sustainable, integrated crop protection programmes.

“The successful commissioning of the BioHub marks an important step forward in Industrial Biotechnology for BASF Agricultural Solutions. By bringing fermentation production in-house, we directly link our expertise in research with industrial-scale manufacturing, allowing us to accelerate and adapt biotechnological innovations,” said Dr. Melanie Bausen-Wiens, Member of the Management Board of Agricultural Solutions, in charge of Technology.

Strategic Rationale: Supply Chain Resilience and Portfolio Growth

By internalising the fermentation production process, BASF states it is strengthening execution excellence, increasing manufacturing flexibility, and enhancing the resilience of its biological supply chains. The move reduces dependency on external producers for critical biological active ingredients and positions the company to respond more rapidly to demand shifts and product development timelines.

“The global market for biological crop protection solutions continues to grow steadily. With this new fermentation plant, we have established a scalable and flexible platform that enables us to strengthen our BioSolutions™ portfolio while ensuring a consistent and dependable supply for our customers,” said Maximilian Becker, Member of the Management Board of Agricultural Solutions, in charge of Business.

BASF BioSolutions and the Broader Biologicals Market

The BioHub is positioned as a long-term platform investment within BASF's BioSolutions™ business, which encompasses its biological and biotechnology-based crop protection portfolio. The facility is designed to be scalable, allowing capacity to be expanded as additional biological active ingredients progress through BASF's development pipeline toward commercial production.