CropLife Europe to invest €4 billion in plant bioprotection

Olivier de Matos, Director-General of CropLife Europe, said that the organization is planning to invest €4 billion in "plant bioprotection." 

"We have established six commitments by 2030 focused on three areas, which are innovation and investment, the circular economy, and protecting people and the environment," said de Matos.

In the are of innovation and investment, the idea is to accelerate farmers' capacities to combat pests and diseases while protecting the environment, he added, noting that another €10 billion will be allocated to "digital agronomy," bringing the total estimated investment to €14 billion for the coming years.

Regarding the circular economy, de Matos stressed that a significant challenge lies in plastic waste from pesticide products, as packaging must be collected and treated. "Currently, the rate of recovery of packaging waste from agrochemical products in the European Union (EU) is 66%, and we aim to reach 75% by 2025. We also want to develop and implement a system for collecting plastic waste because not all EU countries have it," he explained.

In terms of protecting people and the environment, he highlighted the objective of facilitating access to new technologies. "We are committed to training one million farmers and consultants in good health practices, the use of water and environmental protection," de Matos said, noting the use of Closed Transfer Systems (CTS) technology to further reduce operators' exposure to chemicals.

According to de Matos, CropLife Europe is committed to actively encouraging research and innovation to equip European farmers for more sustainable, resilient, and inclusive agriculture. To achieve this, the organization will establish six commitments by 2030 focused on three areas, which are innovation and investment, circular economy, and protecting people and the environment.

CropLife Europe is a European association composed of 23 companies, both multinationals and SMEs, and 31 national associations, including ANIPLA. It is based in Brussels. CropLife Europe's members support European farmers in protecting their crops through conventional chemical protection, biological control, plant biotechnology and digital agronomy.

(Editing by Leonardo Gottems, reporter for AgroPages)