UPL announces Brazil partnership with Elemental Enzymes

UPL has announced ‘first hand’ to AgroPages an exclusive agreement with the North American biotechnology company Elemental Enzymes.

Through a joint research and development (R&D) initiative, the companies will bring innovation to the Brazilian market by introducing a new class of biological technology to combat key crop diseases while supporting productivity and promoting sustainable practices.

Rogério Castro, CEO of UPL Brazil, told AgroPages that ″this partnership reinforces UPL’s commitment to leading the transformation of agriculture with effective and innovative solutions tailored to the realities of farmers, helping them reimagine sustainability in food production.″

″Our collaboration with Elemental Enzymes marks a milestone for the national agricultural sector by introducing a new class of biological inputs that combines cutting-edge technology with protection for the most important crops, all with a lower environmental impact. We are proud to begin this journey here in Brazil and continue expanding our portfolio, always focused on the success of farmers in every region″, the executive added.

Brian Thompson, CEO of Elemental Enzymes, said, ″We are excited about the partnership with UPL and about introducing a powerful new tool for corn and soybean growers in Brazil. The innovation offers a key line of defense against yield-robbing diseases and supports more resilient crop production.″

The long-term partnership will commence in Brazil during UPL’s 2026 fiscal year, which begins in April. Plans to expand into other global markets start in 2027.

About Elemental Enzymes

Elemental Enzymes is a biotechnology company based in St. Louis, Missouri, focused on developing innovative biological solutions that address key challenges in agriculture. With a portfolio of proprietary peptide and enzyme-based technologies, the company is redefining crop protection and health through naturally derived, high-performance products.

At the beginning of the year, Elemental Enzymes announced that Brazil’s regulatory agencies had approved the registration of Vismax Specialty for use in citrus crops (not part of the UPL deal). This is a patented proprietary biofungicide formulated for protection in a broad range of crops. Its registration in Brazil is specifically for use in citrus crops affected by Citrus Greening and Citrus Canker.

Citrus Greening is an extremely serious global citrus plant disease with no current cure. Infected trees produce green, misshapen, bitter fruit unsuitable for sale as fresh fruit or juice, causing millions of dollars in losses each year for Brazilian growers. Fundecitrus data show that more than 44 percent of orange trees in Brazil’s Citrus Belt alone were infected last year.

Over three years of trials in Brazil, Vismax increased citrus yields by an average of 19%. In 2023, the Environmental Protection Agency approved its registration in the United States.

(Editing by Leonardo Gottems, reporter for AgroPages)