‍Biobest 

This interview details Biobest, a global supplier of biological crop solutions based in Belgium. The interview is with Martin Zuijderwijk, Director of Technical Support Services at Biobest.

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What is the origin story of Biobest?

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Biobest was founded in Belgium, in 1987, by veterinarian Roland De Jonghe. He started breeding bumblebees to pollinate tomato crops organically, as an alternative to manual pollination.

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While starting out as a bumblebee producer for natural pollination, the company’s portfolio of natural crop protection solutions has grown tremendously. In the process, Biobest has become one of the largest biological crop protection businesses worldwide. This has been achieved through continuous development of novel crop protection solutions and offering the best possible technical advice. More recently we have entered the field of high-tech digital tools, helping to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of sustainable crop production. 

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What are some of the biggest challenges facing Biobest in the future?

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Globally, crop production is becoming more sustainable out of necessity and due to rising consumer demand.    

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With the reduction in synthetic crop protection products, growers have a dwindling range of chemical pesticides available to them. If a specific active ingredient is used repeatedly, pest populations can build up resistance, rendering the product less effective. 

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To minimize any negative impacts on the environment and human health, growers are coming under increasing pressure from retailers and consumers to minimize their use of chemical pesticides and pursue an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) approach – prioritizing natural crop protection solutions.  

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As part of the EU Green Deal, the Sustainable Use of Plant Protection Products includes targets to reduce the use and risk of chemical pesticides by 50% by 2030. 

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What is unique about Biobest compared to competitors?

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At Biobest we are passionate about sustainability – it is in our DNA and company culture.  

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Our mission is to contribute to the global sustainable production of high-value crops by being the most reliable partner in biological crop protection and pollination.  

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Biobest’s unique product portfolio encompasses a complete range of biological solutions – biocontrols (beneficial insects, mites, and nematodes) biopesticides (microorganisms, semiochemicals, and natural substances), biostimulants (products that improve plant resilience) and pollination (bumblebees) as well as an expanding range of high-tech monitoring tools. 

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Following the recent acquisitions of Biotrop (Brazil) and Bioworks (USA), Biobest Group is set to become a major player in the agricultural and horticultural biopesticides sectors. We will transform from a horticultural biocontrol and pollination specialist to a major ‘biological player’ in open-field agriculture. 

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Investing heavily in research and development, we continuously enhance our product portfolio and find innovative solutions. By staying at the forefront of scientific advancements, we help growers worldwide tackle emerging challenges and improve their agricultural practices.

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As a business, we set out to offer professional guidance and support that is second to none. Our team of experts provides tailor-made advice on pest and disease management, pollination optimization, monitoring techniques, product selection, and application methods. Implementing successful IPM programs generally requires a deeper understanding of crops, diseases, pests, biological solutions, and scouting. To help growers, we offer a one-stop knowledge shop, the Biobest Academy - our e-learning platform.

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As a sustainable business, Biobest pushes the limits of its production processes to produce its products as sustainably as possible. We set out to produce high-quality products with a high social impact and the least impact on the climate and natural environment. 

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Any other upcoming noteworthy news from Biobest to share?

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As horticultural operations become larger, labour scarcer, and risks greater, crop protection decisions are increasingly being made remotely.  Good decisions progressively rely on ‘big data’ that contains greater variety and arrives in higher volume and at greater speed. 

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The overall IPM success rate is much higher if growers know exactly what is happening in their crop – necessitating routinely passing through to scout and monitor pests and diseases and populations of pests and beneficials. 

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Helping to improve efficiency, our new Crop-Scanner™ app helps facilitate personalized bespoke advice. Enabling fast, direct entry of crop scouting data into a smartphone or tablet, the platform delivers real-time overviews of pests and diseases in a greenhouse, helping advisors and growers visualize, and understand, what is happening.  By pulling all this data together in one web portal, Crop-Scanner saves valuable time and helps growers, and their advisors, make informed decisions. 

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How can people connect with you or learn more about Biobest?

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Truly international, Biobest works with growers around the world at a local level. With over 2500 employees, we operate an extensive network of subsidiaries in 70 countries worldwide. 

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To learn more about Biobest visit https://www.biobestgroup.com and to find your local contact visit  Contact (biobestgroup.com) 

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‍ABOUT BIOBEST

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Biobest is a leading global player in integrated biological pest and disease control as well as bumblebee pollination for high-value greenhouse and berry crops. They boast a diverse product portfolio offering comprehensive IPM solutions. These include beneficial insects, predatory mites, bumblebees, insect pathogenic nematodes, biopesticides, and a variety of monitoring, scouting, and pheromone products. Employing over 2000 dedicated professionals, Biobest operates with local production and/or distribution subsidiaries strategically located in more than 29 countries. Additionally, they maintain an extensive network of specialized local distributors across an additional 70 countries on six continents

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