AgroPages-Koppert develops bioherbicide and plans to increase presence in Brazil-Agricultural news

Related News

“Eyes on Latin America market: Koppert invests in inoculants” - Interview with Gustavo Herrmann

By Leonardo Gottems, reporter for AgroPages

Paul Koppert
CEO of Koppert

Koppert Biological Solutions announced that it is researching and developing new biological herbicide. There is currently no commercial option for weed control, other than chemicals. However, Koppert projects that a biological alternative should be available to producers in about 10 years.

"We are, in the long term, looking for alternatives to herbicides. We are not Bayer, we are much smaller, but we do much investment in research and development. It's very expensive to invest in the development of new biological products, but when you compare $10 million to $200 million for a chemist, you find it easier to get your money back, "said Paul Koppert, CEO of Koppert.

Koppert notes that the company directs part of its investments to Brazil. "I invested millions of euros, much more than 20 million. But the true gold of Brazil is the field crops: soybean, corn, cotton, coffee, sugar cane ... Then the money will come back, it may take a while, but it will come back," said Paul. The company earned about R$ 80 million in the country last year, with 60% coming from sales of microbiological products for soybean and corn crops.

In Paul's view, the company is still "scratching the country's potential", which has the opportunity to generate 10 times more revenue in the next decade. "The engines of growth are others. In Europe, it is supermarkets and consumers who do not want chemical waste. In Brazil, the problem is resistance to chemicals," he said.