US: Novozymes and Syngenta join to market Biofungicide Product

Global marketing and distribution agreement will bring product to worldwide customers. Novozymes and Syngenta announced a global marketing and distribution agreement on the microbial-based biofungicide Taegro, a natural solution used to combat fungal diseases across various crops. Under the terms of the agreement, Novozymes and Syngenta will share the task of bringing Novozymes' Taegro to market. Syngenta will be responsible for sales, marketing and distribution, while Novozymes will be responsible for production and registration. Trials are planned to secure data to continue to build on the current U.S. registration in other regions, following which the two companies aim for a global rollout.

"This collaboration matches Syngenta's global market strength and leading position within fungicides and integrated solutions with Novozymes' deep know-how on sustainable, biobased technologies," says Thomas Videbaek, Novozymes executive vice president. "Using technology developed by Novozymes, Syngenta will provide farmers all over the world with a biological product to help sustainably combat fungal diseases in a powerful manner." Taegro offers a biological solution in the form of a microbial-based fungicide, based on the naturally occurring Bacillus subtilis bacterium, which is complementary to existing fungicide technology. It targets fungal diseases such as Rhizoctonia and Fusarium on fruit and vegetables, and its application is expected to be expanded to a wider portfolio of broad-acre crops such as wheat, soy and corn. John Atkin, Chief Operating Officer of Syngenta, says his company is "delighted" to join the agreement. "Having worldwide commercial rights for Taegro will further strengthen our ability to offer high-performing integrated crop solutions," he says.

Source: farmfutures.com