Agricultural Biologicals
One of the fastest-growing segments in agricultural inputs is biological products. Agricultural biologicals are a diverse group of products derived from naturally occurring microorganisms, plant extracts, beneficial insects or other organic matter. They are typically broken down into two or three major categories according to their use in agriculture:
Piper Jaffray1 places the agricultural biologicals market at approximately $3.0 billion. Biopesticides account for an estimated $2.0 billion of the market, with the potential for over $5.0 billion in annual sales by 2020, while biostimulants are currently a $1.0 billion industry, with the potential to grow 20% per year over the next five years.
The growth of the agricultural biologicals market is driven by various factors, including the need for new innovations to meet the food needs of a growing world population, an increasing demand for agricultural sustainability, consumer interest in organic products, weed and insect resistance to chemicals used in agriculture and concerns about the environmental impacts of current agricultural practices.
Agricultural biologicals offer a way to address these issues and provide a sustainable, “green” approach to the challenge of producing enough crops to keep up with an increasing demand for food and fuel.
Agricen and our sister companies, Agricen Sciences and Agricen Australia, are supporting sustainable agriculture with a new generation of biologically sourced tools for plant nutrition.
Agricen’s products are biocatalysts derived from a naturally occurring, diverse community of microorganisms and the biochemical byproducts they produce ( e.g., organic acids, proteins, enzymes). These biochemicals are are the key functioning components of our commercial product technology, interacting with the plant-soil system to increase the availability and uptake of nutrients that are applied in the form of fertilizers or that are present already in the soil or in crop residues.
As we have for over two decades, we continue to invest in rigorous scientific research focused on developing new products rooted in biology and biochemistry. Our goal is to improve the performance of plant nutrition programs and provide growers with the tools they need to increase productivity and sustainability.
Learn more about agricultural biologicals by downloading Agricen's "Growing for the Future" booklet:
1Cox ME, Wong B. Biological Crop Chemistry Primer: Green Shoots through Green Products (Industry Note). Piper Jaffray & Co. August 27, 2013.
