Rovensa Next: Creating A Holistic Platform of Innovative Biosolutions and Opening New Chapter

Recently, Rovensa Group launched Rovensa Next, a new global biosolutions business unit, that aims to support farmers in their journey to feed the planet through healthy and safe solutions. Rovensa Next aggregates 10 Rovensa Group companies, Agrichem Bio, Agrotecnologia, Idai Nature, Microquimica, MIP Agro, OGT, Oro Agri, Rodel, SDP, and Tradecorp, creating a holistic platform of biosolutions to shape a sustainable future for agriculture and drive its bio-transformation.

AgroPages interviewed Carlos Ledó, Co-Chief Operating Officer of Rovensa Next. In the interview, he shared his views on the origin & brand connotation of the Rovensa Next, Rovensa Next's biosolutions and their special features, value chain management and business mode, as well as the future development plan etc.

Carlos Ledó, Co-Chief Operating Officer of Rovensa Next

 Could you introduce the origin & brand connotation of the Rovensa Next? What's the strategic significance of it?

Rovensa Next is a project that we have been working on for some time now, to bring the companies of Rovensa Group focused on biosolutions under one business unit, to provide a holistic solution that can support farmers in addressing their sustainability challenges.

The name was born out of two key characteristics of the brand: our legacy and our future.

Rovensa represents our legacy – all the global expertise and local knowledge that we are bringing with us. Our global network of R&D and excellence center, and dedicated employees who work alongside growers to accompany them in their sustainability journeys.

Next represents our future and what we aspire to bring to the industry. The next generation of biosolutions for plant and soil health, driven by a holistic approach. A forward-looking solution that will shape a sustainable for agriculture and drive its bio-transformation.

Could you introduce Rovensa Next and its strategic position in your company, its global position and core competitiveness?
 
Rovensa Next is the new global business unit of Rovensa Group, dedicated to biosolutions for agriculture, that aims to support farmers in their journey to feed the planet through healthy and safe solutions. Rovensa Next aggregates 10 Rovensa Group companies, Agrichem Bio, Agrotecnologia, Idai Nature, Microquimica, MIP Agro, OGT, Oro Agri, Rodel, SDP, and Tradecorp, creating a holistic platform of biosolutions to shape a sustainable future for agriculture and drive its bio-transformation.

Rovensa Next is organized into a lobal network of 30 research and development (R&D) laboratories and innovation centres and 84 partnerships with research centers and universities. The Group also recently acquired Cosmocel S.A., a Mexican-based company, and a leader in the biostimulants market.

With a global network of 14 production plants,and sales in more than 90 countries, Rovensa Next combines local technical knowledge, innovation and teams working alongside with farmers and distributors in the field to solve their sustainability challenges, with the global expertise and leadership of Rovensa Group. The new business unit unites local and specialised knowledge in various crops and geographical areas into one holistic portfolio of sustainable solutions backed by technical expertise and innovation.

This is our true core competency and where we really shine as an industry partner. We know what customers around the world need because we work closely with them, meeting challenges by constantly innovating to create effective and sustainable solutions.

Could you outline Rovensa Next's biosolutions and their special features? What are the strategies of development and integration of biosolutions? How does your company combine biosolutions with services?

Rovensa Next will develop biosolutions for the full plant lifecycle – from seed to shelf – backed by extensive research, innovation, and testing. These high-performance solutions will be able to replace or complement conventional agriculture products and aim to deliver both higher yield and quality crops.

Our holistic portfolio of bionutrition, biostimulant, biocontrol, and bioenhancer products is developed out of technical expertise and local know-how of our teams, as well as extensive R&D, so that it covers all crop needs and challenges of farmers. Covering the full plant life cycle, Rovensa Next can provide solutions from integrated pest and disease management to minimising abiotic stress, to sustainable crop management.

Beyond just our broad portfolio of products, as I mentioned before we, deeply understand the needs of different crops and geographical areas, with presence in more than 50 countries and selling in more than 90 countries and more than 850 experts working in the field.

Summarizing, our strength is that we not only provide biosolutions to our customers, but also offer knowledge, support and tailored solutions, using the knowledge gained in the field to develop our own product portfolio to ensure we have the right answers to growers' current and future challenges.

Could you introduce the overview of R&D, production and application of biosolutions of Rovensa Next and relevant facilities & capabilities? What are the biggest challenges and countermeasures during above process?

We know that research and innovation are critical to continuing to develop more sustainable solutions for agriculture. That is why we have invested in two R&D departments, one focused on bionutrition and the other on biocontrol. They work in parallel to cover all GAPs in the market with a holistic approach. Within the Rovensa Next network, we have 30 R&D laboratories, centres of excellence and greenhouses that take local challenges and identify solutions that can be applied in a global context. We also use the knowledge and feedback from field and laboratory work to drive our R&D and product pipeline.

Rovensa Next has more than 100 R&D and innovation specialists and more than 84 partnerships with universities and research centres.

As an example, our plant in Brazil, through its fermentation process, was able to discover microorganisms, as inputs for new generations of bionutrients and bioinoculants, that help plants to better uptake nutrients from the soil and the air. In addition, we are also strong in biocontrol and active in bioenhancers.

Could you share the application and advantages of biosolutions in fruits and vegetables market?
 
Our biosolutions ensure that the final fruit or vegetable is more nutritious and healthier for the consumer while also being environmentally-friendly. From integrated pest and disease management to minimising abiotic stress, biosolutions can not only improve crop quality and yield, but also boost nutrient uptake and improve nutrient use efficiency. At Rovensa Next, we accompany farmers in their crop management, helping their crops to grow to their full potential in terms of yield, quality and nutrient levels, resulting in a better product for both the farmer and the consumer.

In terms of application, we optimise crop growth and pest management with natural, sustainable solutions that can be applied through irrigation water, foliar or soil application. We accompany farmers in their journey to find the right solution and application for their specific needs.

How does Rovensa Group manage the value chain of Rovensa Next and operate its global business? What is the new business model? How is it different from before?

Rovensa Next will operate as a separate business unit underneath Rovensa Group, and will have its own executive team, which includes myself as one of the Chief Operations Officers, setting the strategy and helping to grow the business around the globe.

We are a hands-on company, with multi-disciplinary teams and field experts who provide local knowledge, advice, and support. At a global level, we are coordinating production, back-office support, financial control and strategy planning, and we also have a unique business model that I think is new for the industry, where we value R&D and innovation as separate entities. The new business unit has both a Global R&D department, as well as one for Global Innovation, each with unique responsibilities.

While R&D develops and identify solutions that can be applied in a global context, Global Innovation, on the other hand, will develop disruptive ideas and drive growth, beyond Rovensa Next solutions, leveraging distinct models of the open innovation environment in agriculture, and fostering the innovative spirit through a global hub and entrepreneurship program.

What’s the future development plan of Rovensa Next? Especially developing new markets and the Chinese market.

Rovensa Next as a project is ambitious – as is its growth. The companies that are coming together to form the business unit, in addition to Rovensa Group, have a long history in markets such as Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and Brazil. In recent years, they have begun to incorporate other markets such as United States, Central and South America, Asia, Australia and New Zealand, among others.

Sustainable agriculture is not a need confined to a singular market, and the creation of this global business unit, combining the strengths of ten global companies into one business unit, is testament to the fact that Rovensa Next is committed to creating a sustainable future for agriculture and driving its bio-transformation.

We are passionate to be part of the solution globally and China is one of our strategic priorities.

The company's strategy in the Chinese market started over ten years ago with its specialised product portfolio and its importers and distributors.

Over the past few years, the companies under the umbrella of Rovensa Next, as Idai Nature, Agrotecnologia, Oro Agri
and Tradecorp, have extended its product coverage getting new registrations there. With its highly professional technical services, Chinese growers have become familiar with and have applied more premium quality, differentiated micronutrients, humic acid, amino acid and seaweed products on crops such as citrus, fruit and vegetables. Now a revolutionary new generation of bionutrition and biocontrol products, will soon be launched in China to contribute to green transformation in agriculture and to support current and future market and customer needs, with a marked focus on value-added crops.

Discover more: www.rovensanext.com

If you'd like to share your company/solution story, please contact Grace Yuan via: grace@agropages.com