Kumiai to debut biopesticide in US market in 2011

A partnership between Kumiai Chemical Industry and a US pesticide sales company is expected to lead to a US market debut as early as in 2011 for Kumiai’s biopesticide containing Bacillus subtitles as the active ingredient, with pesticide registration in the US already accomplished. Under the agreement, Kumiai will provide its US partner with the microbe, which will be cultivated, formulated and marketed in the US. Sales in Europe and Brazil are also envisaged.

Kumiai has been actively working to expand markets abroad for its pesticides, and the ratio of its overseas sales of pesticides to overall sales has risen to about 25%. It is also considering offshore markets for its unique “hybrid pesticide” that combines a synthetic chemical and a microbial pesiticide.

The company has been adding to its domestic lineup of pesticides, including biopesiticides, since launching its Eco-hope paddy-seed bactericide. It is now the top supplier of microbial pesticides in Japan. Although the biopeticide market is still small at the moment, domestic demand for microbial pesticides, as core elements of integrated pest management, has been rising steadily, and growth is similarly apparent in many other countries, reflecting increasing consumer preference for crops that are cultivated with less use of chemicals.