The Overview
In this issue’s Overview, we reflect on New AG International’s annual conference and exhibition event held in April in Barcelona. With just over 350 attendees, from Asia, LATAM, Europe and North America, the event is returning to its pre-pandemic size while maintaining the quality of both content and networking. This was highlighted in the post-event survey in which 80 percent of the attendees rated the speaker quality as good or excellent. Here is an overview of the keynotes and some mini podcasts with speakers giving some of the key messages from their presentations. Be sure to join us in Berlin in 2024.
“We have a new map,” said Professor Michael Tanchum, keynote speaker, at this year’s New AG annual event as opened his presentation. “We have a new map of how markets are connected, and we have opportunities within that new map for fertilizer and biostimulant companies.”
His expansive talk touched on various points and he elaborated on the water-food-energy nexus. “As you know it takes energy to make water, but it also takes water to make energy, and it takes both to make food,” he explained.
Professor Michael Tanchum, keynote speaker,New AG International annual conference and exhibition,Barcelona 2023
Professor Michael Tanchum expounded on the water-food-energy nexus.
One of Tanchum’s points was that the world can no longer rely on just-in-time inventory. Not only a short-term crisis, in food, fertilizers prices rising. Long term crisis – not disruptions but a reordering of supply chains, he said.
Among the solutions that he listed: more energy, particularly green hydrogen systems; desalination; new water infrastructure; more fertilizer production; agritech (citing smart irrigation); and cross border electricity interconnection. He made the point to the audience that the ability of biostimulants to counter abiotic stress was a more immediate solution than building infrastructure.
“You need strategic intent, and to get your products in front of people,” he suggested while stressing the importance of first mover advantage. “Agencies go with who they know and trust, so there’s first mover advantage,” he concluded.
Michael Tanchum is senior fellow/non-resident fellow at Austrian Institute for European and Security Policy (AIES)/Middle East Institute and fellow at Centre for Strategic Studies, Baskent University. His full presentation can be viewed on Informa Connect’s Streamly channel.
Fertilizing products regulation updateThe keynote on the second day was Jérémy Pinte - policy officer, European Commission. Pinte provided a detailed update of the Fertilising Products Regulation (FPR), applicable in member states of the European Union. The FPR came into full effect in July 2022, having been adopted in June 2019.
Pinte went through the 15 component material categories (CMCs), drawing attention to the four that had been added since the adoption of the FPR. These were CMC 12: precipitated phosphate salts and derivates; CMC 13: thermal oxidation materials and derivates; CMC 14: Pyrolysis and gasification materials; CMC 15: high purity materials. He emphasized that the FPR does not have a positive list of materials. He noted that some of the CMCs were empty or only partially populated.
Pinte then went through the registration steps, beginning with identifying the function category and identifying what is in the product. In the labelling, specific information must be included. Pinte said the Commission was looking at digital labelling, where only the certain information need be on the physical label and the remainder could be in a digital format.
When it comes to new materials Pinte said calcium oxide would now be allowed. They had been left out when the FPR was adopted, he said, but had been in earlier drafts of the legislation.
Pinte said discussions regarding phosphonates had now been re-opened. He said the industry had come with new information that phosphonates would be a valuable biostimulant, so engaging with industry to see how can be used in FPR. “But there is a clash with the pesticide regulation since phosphonates are approved as an active substance in pesticide regulation,” he noted.
Guidance on biodegradabilityPinte also gave an update on the biodegradability criteria applicable to polymers. He outlined the necessary criteria that will be in effect from 16 July 2024. A final report is due by summer 2023 on biodegradable
polymer and the FPR, said Pinte. In one of the questions after his presentation, he was asked about the registration of product with FPR if it contained a polymer, which are exempt from registration with REACH, since the monomer is registered. Pinte said if the polymer is to be used in a CE marked fertilizer then it is necessary for the polymer to be registered with REACH under the ‘proxy’ of the monomer.
You can watch the full presentation of the keynote on the second day by Jérémy Pinte - policy officer, European Commission, on Informa Connect’s Streamly channel.
How to get your biological product with a major distributorAlso on stage at the New AG International annual conference in Barcelona was Francisco Manzano, director of business development at Nutrien Ag Solutions. Interviewed by New AG International’s Luke Hutson, Francisco spoke candidly about what a distributor like Nutrien looks for when partnering with biological companies. The interview and questions from the audience ran to 35 minutes. An edited version of the interview is available to 2BMonthly subscribers, here.
Find out there what tips he had for companies, the key mistakes some make in their pitches, and how many companies have approached him in the last months alone. ●
Francisco Manzano, director of business development, Nutrien Ag Solutions was interviewed on-stage by New AG International’s Luke Hutson
David Calvert,director, iFormulate,giving a workshop on agro-formulation at New AG International’s annual eventin Barcelona
Mini podsAt the New AG International annual, we asked speakers to give a brief summary of their presentations.
Value Added Fertilizers: Speciality Fertilizers and Combination Products for Nitrogen Use Efficiency: Application & Field Trials
Making the best use of available nutrition- Mode of Action and Efficacy of Acadian Plant Health Seaweed Extract for nutrient use efficiency and productivity
Holly Little - Director, Research & Development, Acadian Plant Health
Micronutrients & Micro Technology – New Research and New Results
Effects of a seaweed extract biostimulant derived from Ascophyllum nodosum (Barramar) on micronutrient use efficiency and fruit quality in grapevine
Oscar Goñi – Technical Manager, Brandon Bioscience
Plant Nutrition, Sustainability and Climate Change
Disruptive solutions to bring sustainable fertilizers to the market: case of GreenSwitch
Erik van den Bergh - Managing Director, Van Iperen
Nitrogen fixing microbials- a beneficial breakthrough for growers and the planet
Sarah Reiter - Business Development, BioConsortia
Biostimulants - The Next Frontier of Plant Nutrition
BIOTOOL, the innovative tool to evaluate biostimulant performance on water use efficiency (WUE)
Camila Levy - Global Agronomical R&D Manager, Rovensa Next
Luke Hutson, New AG International Chief Analyst
