Koppert Brazil strengthens position in biological crop protection market

Koppert Brazil has greatly strengthened its position in the Brazilian biological crop protection market by taking over Manejo Agrícola.

Manejo Agrícola has long been an important distributor for Koppert, selling solutions for biological crop protection in a large proportion of the Brazilian market for 'big crops' (soya beans, maize, cotton, green beans, and other). By signing the agreement with Manejo Agrícola recently, Koppert Brazil has expanded its activities by more than 100% in 2014, now covering several Brazilian states of agricultural importance.

Gustavo Herrmann, one of the managing directors of Koppert Brazil, is very pleased with the promising opportunities that the takeover of Manejo Agrícola offers. ‘We can strengthen our brand names and position within the market by selling our products directly to the dealers and sharing our expertise with them and their clients thanks to the addition of 18 field advisors, of which we now have 35 in total. We will also be able to improve the supply of live products to our customers.’
 
Paul Koppert and Henri Oosthoek, managing directors of Koppert Biological Systems, added: ‘The takeover of Manejo Agrícola is of great strategic importance for the further growth of Koppert Brazil. Biological crop protection is a huge and growing market in Brazil. There is an enormous demand for natural, effective solutions that are safe for humans and the environment.’

New production site

Koppert Brazil recently opened a new production site in Piracicaba city, in the state of São Paulo. Koppert Brazil has been running the facility at Itapetininga since its acquisition of Itaforte in June 2012, and the company’s headquarters are in a commercial building in Piracicaba.

The company will produce macroorganisms in Piracicaba and keep the microbials plant at Itapetininga. This is another important step for Koppert’s Brazilian branch, since new products based on the production of Trichogramma wasps will be launched to cater for the big crops market. In the grains and legumes sector, beneficials are in high demand for the IPM programme relating to Helicoverpa armigera, a new pest affecting growers in Brazil. In the sugar cane market, the beneficials will be helping to control the sugarcane borer.