Bayer CropScience is the flagship company of the Bayer Group in India and is publicly listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange. It is engaged in manufacturing of crop protection products, non agricultural pest-control, seeds and plant biotechnology. The company enjoys a unique position in the market because of its capability to offer new innovative products, technologies, processes, services and business models. With its innovative products, it is contributing to finding solutions to some of the major challenges of its time. The company remains committed to improving lives by advancing nutrition and healthcare solutions for the country’s growing population.

The company is a key player in the Indian agriculture industry. The company has distinguished itself by leveraging its proven capabilities in innovation-driven solutions, sophisticated processes and technologies, world-class services, and superior business models. It continues to work closely with Indian farmers to help them overcome agricultural challenges. Bayer is not only contributing towards increasing farmer incomes and providing access to better healthcare but is also helping the nation become ‘Aatmanirbhar’ by ‘Making in India for India and the World’. The company is working on new organizational model called Dynamic Shared Ownership (DSO). This new organizational model empowers the teams and deploys resources more efficiently for the future.

With the focus on improving productivity, quality of the produce and return on investment of farmers, the company is developing package solution from ‘seed to harvest’ in key agriculture and horticulture crops like rice, cotton, fresh fruits and vegetables. The company continuously provides guidance and inputs to the farming community on safe and judicious use of pesticides through various Stewardship and Sustainable Agriculture projects. The company also supports a helpline dedicated to the farming community with the aim to help them seek clarifications on appropriate use of its products.

Business area of the company

Bayer CropScience is engaged in ‘Agri Care’ business which primarily includes manufacture, sale and distribution of insecticides, fungicides, herbicide and various other agrochemical products and production, sale and distribution of hybrid corn seeds. The company is also involved in sale and distribution of other row crop hybrid seeds. The Company’s operations include key business areas: Crop Protection, Seeds & Traits and Digital Farming.

Crop Protection: The Company’s Crop Protection portfolio comprises a wide range of innovative chemical and biological pest management solutions. It also provides extensive customer service for modern and sustainable agriculture. The Company focuses on Insecticides, Fungicides, Herbicides, and Seed Growth under this category. 

Seeds & Traits: Bayer hybrid seeds make use of the natural genetic diversity within each crop family and can withstand environmental challenges like pests, disease, and drought while providing more choices for farmers. Bayer's product portfolio consists of hybrid seeds for crops such as corn and paddy.

Digital Farming: Modern farming methods leverage technology to boost crop yields and efficiency while minimizing waste and environmental impact. These approaches use tools like remote sensing, IoT sensors, GPS, drones, AI, and data analytics to monitor and manage factors such as crop growth, soil health, and weather conditions. Digital can also add value in market linkage, financial inclusion, access to farm machinery and labor and removing information silos. 

Awards:

• 2013: QHSE Excellence Award at Himatnagar = 2013 by Bayer Senior Representative
• 2014: FICCI Award - 2014 - Sustainability Award for Excellence in Safety
• 2014: QHSE Excellence Award at Himatnagar - 2014 by Bayer Senior Representative
• 2015: FICCI Award - 2015 - Best Green Process for initiative of Oil Dispersion (OD) formulation
• 2015: HSE Excellence Award at Himatnagar - 2015 by Bayer Senior Representatives
• 2016: ISO 9001,14001 and OHSAS 18001 re-certification in 2016.
• 2017: The Company has been awarded AON Best Employers in India 2017 and was one of the 19 companies to be recognised out of total 113 companies across 12 key industries.
• 2018-19: The Bombay Chamber of Commerce and Industry awarded ‘Bayer House’, Bayer’s head office situated at Thane as winner of the ‘Office Safety Awards 2018’ in the category of 500 and above employees. 
• 2019-20: The Company has been recognised, for the third time in row, as Best Employer by AON, based on a study backed with engagement research of over 6,400 global organisations, including 2,300 in the region, and covering 800,000 employees’ opinions.
• 2020-21: The Company received an award from Grant Thornton Bharat SABERA 2020, under the category ‘Responsible Business of the Year’.
• 2021-22: The Company was awarded the Healthy workplace Gold Category award from Arogya World Healthy.
• 2023-24: The Company has been featured in the 100 Best Companies for Women in India and has been certified as a Great Place to Work by the Great Place to Work Institute and one of India’s best workplaces in Chemicals.
• 2024-25: Bayer India was awarded the Healthy Workplace – Hall of Fame by Arogya World in December 2024.

Milestones:

• 1863: Globally, the company is founded on August 1, 1863 by dye salesman Friedrich Bayer and the master dyer Johann Friedrich Weskott in Wuppertal, Germany - a 19th century startup with tremendous potential. 
• 1896: First wholly-owned subsidiary of Bayer in Asia ‘Farbenfabriken Bayer and Company Limited’ is set-up in Mumbai.
• 1904: Bayer delegates own commercial and technical personnel to expand business, introduce new products and supervise local offices, agents and depots in India
• 1906-1910: Imports of pharma products commence. Volume increases with establishment of pharma offices in Bombay, Calcutta, Delhi and Madras
• 1958: First facility for formulation of Bayer pesticides begins in Bombay at a small plant acquired by Bayer’s partner
• 1958: Bayer-Agrochem Pvt. Ltd. was incorporated on September 9, 1958. Today, it is known as Bayer CropScience Limited and is the listed entity for Bayer in India
• 1959: Commissioning of dyestuff factory (later Colour-Chem Ltd.) at Thane, Bombay.
• 1961: Distribution of pesticides transferred to Bayer Agrochem. Field Advisory Service organization is rapidly expanded to train farmers in correct usage of pesticides
• 1963: The name of Bayer Agrochem changes to Bayer (India) Ltd  
• 1967: Bayer begins producing rubber chemicals in India  
• 1969: The company commences operations of a major production unit in Thane
• 1970: The Head Office of Bayer is relocated at Express Towers, Nariman Point, the new business centre of Bombay
• 1990: Set up of a production unit at Vapi (earlier called Mitsu by the Bilakhia Group) for the manufacture of intermediates and agrochemicals which is today known as Bayer Vapi
• 1991: Bayer opened a new formulating plant for the production of Folidol Dust in Himatnagar, Gujarat
• 1995: Inaugurates the new Head Office called ‘Bayer House in India’ at Powai, Mumbai with state-of-the-art office equipment and good social facilities
• 1995: The name of Miles India Ltd. is changed to Bayer Diagnostics India Ltd., which becomes a member of the Bayer Group in India, with the factory and registered office location at Baroda
• 1995: Foundation of a site for seed processing and storage at Toopran by ProAgro Seeds, which was later acquired by Bayer in 2002
• 1996: Set up of a maize conditioning plant at Shameerpet situated at approximately 40 kms from Hyderabad, in the state of Telangana, now a Bayer site  
• 1996: Set up of an agrochemical manufacturing site at Silvassa, located in the Union Territory of Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu in Western India
• 1996: Bayer celebrates the centennial anniversary of its presence in India
• 2000: Bayer India head office moves to Kolshet road, Thane, near Mumbai
• 2001: Globally, Bayer acquires Aventis CropScience
• 2004: First Imidacloprid production facility outside Germany is inaugurated in Vapi
• 2011: Bayer Zydus Pharma is set up as a 50:50 joint venture between Bayer HealthCare and Zydus Cadilla in India
• 2013: The Seeds business unit (Bayer BioScience Pvt. Ltd.) of the Crop Science division of Bayer in India opens a multi-crop breeding station in Chandippa, near Hyderabad and a Mustard Breeding Station in Palwal, Haryana. Globally, Bayer celebrates its 150th anniversary
• 2014: New LEED certified building ‘Bayer House, Thane’ is inaugurated as the new Headquarters of Bayer in India by Member of the Board of Management of Bayer AG, Dr. Wolfgang Plischke
• 2015: In India, Bayer inaugurates a new Global Formulation Technology Laboratory at its manufacturing site in Vapi, Gujarat, India. ‘Bayer House, Vapi’ - the administration building gets LEED certification
• 2015: Globally, Bayer MaterialScience becomes an independent company and begins operating under the name Covestro since September 1.
• 2016: Bayer charters the course for its successful development as a Life Science company with the company’s business restructured into three divisions: Pharmaceuticals, Consumer Health and Crop Science
• 2016: A corn breeding center is set up in Udaipur, Rajasthan
• 2017: Set up of a production site at Deulgaon Raja, Maharashtra for high quality seeds for export that include tomato, hot pepper, sweet pepper, melon and watermelon  
• 2018: Globally, Bayer closes Monsanto acquisition and concludes process to sell Covestro.
• 2019: Bayer completes Monsanto integration in India in September. A new plant is inaugurated at Bayer’s Himatnagar site, strengthening its manufacturing footprint in Gujarat
• 2021: Bayer launches Consumer Health division in India. Bayer completes 125 years in India.
• 2022: Bayer launches commercial application of drone services
• 2024: Bayer assumes 100% ownership of the joint venture - Bayer Zydus Pharmaceuticals Pvt. Ltd.