Professional Web Portal and Printed Directory about Companies, Products and Services from the Horticulture, Gardening and Associated Markets.
Professional Web Portal and Printed Directory about Companies, Products and Services from the Horticulture, Gardening and Associated Markets.
PLANT HEALTH
The European market for biological pest control will reach €1.6 billion in 2022 with an annual growth rate of 10% , according to the latest report from the International Biocontrol Manufacturers Association (IBMA) based on a survey among his associates.
As explained by the IBMA, the biocontrol market has doubled since 2016, but growth slowed between 2019 and 2022, “a reflection of the current authorization processes of the European Union that mean that innovators must wait up to ten years for biocontrol products are approved and available for use by farmers.”
The entity demands that there be a regulatory change “to fully unlock the potential of biocontrol and stimulate greater growth” and points out that “farmers in the United States and Brazil wait two or three years to obtain a complete safety evaluation and a final permit for use, compared to the ten years of waiting that European farmers face.” This makes, they say, “Europe unattractive for new investments.” “It jeopardizes job growth in the green economy and puts European farmers at a competitive disadvantage.”
A hundred substances awaiting approval
In its statement, the association highlights that while its market grows 10% each year, “in the conventional protection market it is approximately 4%. “This growth rate reflects the demand and need for effective and environmentally friendly pest and disease control, especially given the declining availability and effectiveness of many chemical solutions.”
A previous IBMA survey noted that there are more than 100 substances in the biocontrol pipeline that will be submitted to the approval process before 2028. All four biocontrol categories – microbials, natural substances, semiochemicals and invertebrates – are growing. Invertebrates do this the most, with an estimated 65% increase in sales volume since 2019 , “which is to be expected since the authorization process is significantly shorter,” they point out.
The natural substances category has grown the most in terms of absolute value, with an increase of €168.3 million since 2019. “This category tends to be an entry point for manufacturers to expand their product portfolios for include biological products,” they remember.
