Plant Health Care and Nutrien Ag Solutions to commercially launch new Saori™ soybean seed treatment in Brazil

Plant Health Care^® (AIM: PHC.L ,) a leading provider of novel patent-protected biological products to global agriculture markets, has announced a key milestone for the Company through a new partnership with Nutrien Ag Solutions to launch its novel Saori™ soybean seed treatment in Brazil.

Highlights

· Saori, based on Plant Health Care's PHC279, makes soy plants healthier, improves resistance to disease and increases yield.

· Brazil is the world's largest producer of soybeans (40 m hectares forecast next season); Saori is a novel technology for Brazil soybean farmers to grow better crops more sustainably.

· Saori was approved for sale in January 2021 for the control of Asian soybean rust, after only 12 months of government regulatory evaluation, based on its effectiveness and sustainability profile.

· Saori will be made available this season by Nutrien Ag Solutions on a limited basis to leading soybean growers, with wide adoption within Brazil expected to take place during the 2022/23 season and thereafter.

Background

Saori is the Company's first product from its PREtec platform to be commercialized and is the first PREtec peptide approved in Brazil. PREtec peptides represent a novel class of technology which stimulate the plant to defend itself. Derived from natural proteins, PREtec is an environmentally friendly approach to protecting crops and is compatible with mainstream agricultural practices.  

Brazil is the world's leading soybean producer with more than 40 million hectares (99 million acres) expected to be planted in the 2021/22 season. Asian soybean rust, caused by the fungus Phakopsora pachyrhizi, is a devastating disease which can lead to crop yield loss of up to 90%. Brazilian soybean farmers spent US$2.85 billion on disease control in the 2019/20 season.

Nutrien Ag Solutions is the retail business of Nutrien, the world's largest provider of crop inputs and services. They have built a major presence in Brazil through acquisitions over recent years.

Chris Richards, CEO of Plant Health Care said, ‟I am very pleased to partner with Nutrien Ag Solutions for the launch of Saori in Brazil this season. Nutrien has demonstrated their commitment to developing sustainable agricultural solutions and Saori is a natural fit with their strategy. With multiple channels for putting Saori into the hands of Brazilian soybean growers, I am confident that Nutrien Ag Solutions is the very best partner for Saori. The launch of Saori is a key milestone for Plant Health Care and I look forward to seeing it used on millions of soybean hectares in the coming years."

"We're committed to investing in the development of global and regionally-specific new biopesticide technologies like Saori. This farm-focused technology partnership with Plant Health Care helps drive a positive impact for our grower customers.", said Dr. Ryan Bond, senior director of crop protection and nutrition innovation at Nutrien Ag Solutions.