New plant in Xiantao built by Wuhan Kernel Biotech, China’s leading manufacturer of Bacillus, capacity increases 1.6 times

On 5th Mar. 2021, Wuhan Kernel Bio-tech Co., Ltd. (hereafter as Kernel Biotech) held the inauguration celebration of Xiantao plant (phase I). The plant covers an area of 200 mu (15 mu equal to 1 hectare), of which 80 mu will be used for phase I, containing four 120-ton fermenters and related downstream facilities. Two production lines had been well installed in phase I, one is for production of Bacillus such as Bacillus thuringiensis and Bacillus subtilis, and the other is for production of antibiotics such as Validamycin. The capacity of the new plant is 1.6 times higher than the plant in Wuhan.

Kernel Biotech is the first enterprise in China to develop the biopesticides Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt). However, in the early days of 1999, due to slow effect, biopesticides were not very well accepted by the farmers. Therefore, biopesticides industry developed very slowly in domestic market. For this reason, Kernel Biotech adjusted its business strategy and turned to expand the international market. Till today, the company’s main products Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), Validamycin and Bacillus subtilis (Bs) have been widely used in agriculture, animal husbandry, aquaculture and environment protection.  These products have been exported to more than 20 countries in Europe, the United States, Japan, South Korea, South America and Southeast Asia.

In terms of research and innovation, Kernel Biotech has continuously upgrads its products for improving function and application of different Bt subspecies. Compared with regular Bacillus thuringiensis products in the market which are only used for the prevention and control of Lepidoptera pests, Kernel Biotech has discovered Bt strains that can control Coleoptera pests, nematodes and leek maggot, and related products will be launched in the market accordingly. Furthermore, the company’s R & D team focuses not only on the diversity of Bt strains, but also on the fermentation metabolites, formulation, and application technology.

Li Qing (General Manager of Kernel Biotech) said to AgroPages, that green development and agricultural transformation will inevitably happen. Kernel Biotech is currently making use of opportunities for industry development to increase its domestic and international markets in parallel, at a current growth rate of 20% to 30%.