The Agricultural Biologicals Industry Meeting (ABIM) 2023, a vibrant event where the future of biocontrol solutions came into focus, has recently concluded in Basel, Switzerland. This annual global gathering serves as a critical platform for delving into the key role that biocontrol plays in revolutionizing plant protection and ensuring the sustainability of food and farming. It featured insightful presentations, innovative ideas, and a wide range of exhibitors—including key players such as Syngenta, BASF, and Valent—showcasing nature-based solutions.
“One of the most anticipated areas of the event was the Bernard Blum Awards Ceremony,” says Selen Canpolat, our Agrochemicals Business Development Manager, who attended the event. Over 30 entries vied for the top spot in biocontrol solutions. Among the winners were:
- DCM took the first place with its bacteriophage-based product PEA-02, which favors bacteriophage’s ability to defeat bacteria for controlling Erwinia Amylowora.
- Signs was placed second with its product NoReds, which is the first effective biocontrol solution using allomones to control poultry red mites.
- Koppert followed with its product Nezapar, which is a kind of pupae of parasitoid wasps, effective in controlling green stink bug.
This year’s special award went to BioBest‘s Trap-Eye, a high-tech device designed to improve the accuracy and efficiency of pest monitoring. The device automatically takes pictures from the sticky traps and uses these to identify and count insects on them for making biocontrol solutions more effective.
Besides new products, the biocontrol scene continues to expand through strategic acquisitions and collaborations. BioBest has been on the move to expand its footprint in key regions. Notable acquisitions include Agrotech in Austria, Biotrop in Brazil, and Bioworks in North America. Furthermore, CBC’s Biogard has also recently acquired Bioplanet, while Certis, a key player in the biocontrol industry, has entered a new collaboration with Clever to develop unique natural peptides produced by plants to control diseases in agriculture, amenities, as well as home and garden.
These strategic moves underscore the growth potential in the biocontrol industry. Through its Global Biopesticides: An Overview of Natural Pesticides report, Kline regularly conducts market research on the global biocontrol markets and expects these products to grow by double digits over the next five years. The United States is a key growth market as are Brazil and Spain, Italy, and other European countries, spurred in part by the Green New Deal and other sustainability efforts in Europe. In addition to global markets already covered, the latest edition of the report will also shine a spotlight on the biopesticide markets in Colombia, Peru, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, the Netherlands, and Turkey in 2024. For more information, please contact us.
