Novagro-AG: Accelerating organic transition towards production of healthy fruits and vegetables for families, environment and farmers

Novagro-AG was launched in Peru in 2007 as a response to the growing needs of the export agribusiness. Faced with almost zero supply of bio inputs for exportable crop protection and a very demanding European market in the elimination of pesticide residues in fruits and vegetables, Novagro-AG develops with its customers, biological and environmentally-friendly solutions which were highly efficient for pest and disease control in agri export crops such as asparagus, blueberry, avocado, banana, mangoes, tangerines, among others.

Novagro-AG has positioned itself as the most recognized company in Peru offering organic and environmentally-friendly solutions, which allow for the production of safe fruits and vegetables that meet the high-quality standards of the international market. Their products are present in every Peruvian fruit and vegetable which is produced and exported. Although Peruvian agri-export products, and in general Latin American, meet the highest standards of safety and are mostly free of pesticide residues, the same is not true for fruits and vegetables produced for domestic consumption, in which the constant, is the presence of pesticide residues.

Therefore, Novagro-AG is committed to sustainable agriculture, helping farmers in the transition process towards agriculture in harmony with the environment and consumers health, to ensure that fruits and vegetables which are consumed by Latin Americans, meet the same standards of safety and quality that are exported to other destinations such as Europe, North America and Asia.

“We accelerate the transition towards the production of healthy fruits and vegetables for families, environment and farmers.”

The company’s broad portfolio of organically certified and biological products are formulated based on plant extracts, bacteria, fungi and derivatives, aimed at organic agriculture and also traditional agriculture. Novagro-AG also offers crop nutrition products such as bio-fertilizers, bio-stimulants based on seaweed, micro-organism, amino acids, vitamins, humic acids and fulvic acids that complement crop nutrition, offering a comprehensive service for producers, with personalized advice through their highly trained technical advisors. Novagro-AG currently has an active presence in Peru, Colombia and with solid introductory projects in Bolivia.

What are the sustainable alternatives Novagro-AG offers sustainable agriculture?

Novagro-AG allows small farmers (those who grow for self-consumption or the domestic market) to access these bio-input products with technological innovation, teach them their effects and benefits, and above all, to raise awareness of the quality and safety of the food they produce and consume, as well as the commitment to the care of the environment.

That is why the company offers them the following product lines:
Biological line: 20 products including fungicides, insecticides, nematicides and acaricides.
Semi-biological line: 5 products including fungicides, insecticides, nematicides and acaricides.
Latest generation of Chemical line: 24 products including fungicides, insecticides, nematicides and acaricides and herbicides.
Nutritional line: 23 products including NPK fertilizers, bio-stimulants, soil improvers.
Certified organic line: 15 products, including fungicides, insecticides and acaricides. See chart 1.

CHART 1. ORGANIC CERTIFIED LINE APPROVED FOR ORGANIC AGRICULTURE

ACCORDING WITH CEE889/08, USDA/NOP 205 AND JAS

What strategy does Novagro-AG have to accelerate the transition process to sustainable agriculture and harmony with the environment?

Based on Novagro's knowledge of local farmers’ needs and its reality, the company works daily on the following guidelines:
a. To make available and reachable to farmers, not only biological products and with organic certification, but also semi-biological and modern chemicals of low toxicity and residuality, that are very efficient and that fit with their crop budget. This gives the farmers the confidence to make such a transition.

b. Develop experimental field trials, where the farmers can see the real effect of the products and increase their confidence in them. In addition, democratize access to these new technologies through our e-commerce channel at www.novagro-ag.com, which can be accessed by any farmer from anywhere in the country and purchase their products in a reliable, fast and simple way.

c. Provide permanent personalized advice to each farmer in his farm and through digital channels, to instantly respond to every inquiry of our farmers. They reply to each inquiry in a maximum of five seconds, having as a premise to attend to the needs of the farmer, either with the product line or other recognized company products in the sector. Likewise, they conduct online training (webinars), taking advantage of current technological tools, in which customers are continuously trained on how to get the most out of their crops.
 
How does the e-commerce sales channel work and what benefits does it offer?

The customer must enter the virtual platform and login in (www.novagro-ag.com), choose the products, leave their data for shipping, find the most convenient payment method and finish their purchase. The customer gets the benefits because they can buy the products at a low cost, unlike purchasing them through an intermediary (distributor), and can order the products from their home.

Novagro-AG offers many benefits on its virtual platform, including the ability of each farmer or any person to build a Marketing Network and generate multiple revenues. (The company has delivered on February 19, 2021, more than US$30,000 as a bonus to farmers). By joining, it gives the customer the possibility to buy regularly, become a referrer and recommend the products, or become a distributor and ambassador of the brand. In this way, the customer not only benefits from the discounts when buying direct but also obtains the benefits of being able to make his marketing network and thus generate an income.

How do organic and conventional producers benefit from certifications that Novagro’s products have?

Organic producers have a great challenge that not only do they have to produce a clean or safe fruit, but within their growing process they must use only inputs that have organic certifications, approved according to their target market. For this reason, Novagro-AG offers more than 15 products that have been certified by internationally recognized brands such as Kiwua and Imocert. These products go through an exhaustive evaluation and verification, where not just their components are evaluated but so is the manufacturing process, to ensure that these inputs are suitable for use in organic agriculture. See chart 1.

How does Novagro-AG help to mitigate environmental impact due to pesticide use?

Novagro-AG is committed to care and be sustainable with the environment. In this regard, it is affiliated with the Agroverde Peru www.agroverdeperu.com program, which seeks to educate farmers on the use and management of pesticides, as well as the appropriate final disposal of the empty packing after the bio inputs are used.

Novagro-AG trains all interest groups involved directly or indirectly in handling inputs such as shipping and transporters, farmers, retail distributors, doctors and nurses. That not only mitigates the environmental impact but also helps to educate new generations to learn about these good agricultural practices.

What is Novagro-AG expansion strategies in other countries like Colombia and Bolivia?

In Colombia, Novagro-AG has 15 registered products with the Ministry of Agriculture-Ica and 15 products in the process of registration that will be ready this year. We have started the marketing process in the reference crops such as Flowers and Avocado; bringing our technological innovations and following the marketing model in Peru, adopted to the conditions of Colombia´s market.

Bolivia is a very attractive market where Novagro-AG has studied that it can bring its technological innovation to its domestic crops, that is why their positioning strategy is already on the way.

If you also want to tell your company story, or share your insights of the industry, please contact:

Yutian Lu

yutian.lu@agropages.com

This article will be published in AgroPages '2021 Certified Organic Agri-inputs Guide' which will be released on March 31, 2021.  Click here to check more information about this magazine.