10 - 12 September 2019 | Crowne Plaza Barcelona -Fira Center | Barcelona, Spain
The world of crop protection and nutrition are in transition, with a growing role being played by existing and emerging biological products. Biocontrol remains a small percentage of the total crop protection market, but it has experienced a higher growth rate in recent years than its traditional counterpart. Consultancy DunhamTrimmer estimates an annual growth rate of 15% against that for conventional products of around 5%.
Biostimulants are now an established area of scientific research, with an increasing number of collaborations between academia and industry reflecting the increase in products on the market. With more products, there have been steady efforts to create regulatory frameworks for biostimulants in various regional markets. Notably, at the end of 2018 in the USA, the Agriculture Improvement Act, also known as the Farm Bill, was signed into law and included a description of a plant biostimulant, providing the first statutory language regarding plant biostimulants in any law in the United States.
At this juncture, it is appropriate that Crop Innovations and Regulations (CIR) has conducted a survey across professionals working in the crop protection and nutrition sectors. The survey received the highest response to date and it provides some valuable insights to the biggest challenges and opportunities facing the plant nutrition and crop protection industry.
To introduce the report, Luke Hutson, chief editor of New Ag International, explores what some of the key takeaways mean for the industry.
