Bee Vectoring Technologies Targets European Market with First Registration Submission for Advanced Disease Control Technology

Jun 20, 2018

MISSISSAUGA, Ontario -- Bee Vectoring Technologies International, Inc (BVT) (TSXV:BEE) announced today that it has submitted registration documents in Switzerland for its proprietary active ingredient, Clonostachys rosea CR-7 for use against fungal diseases in production agriculture.

Switzerland uses approximately CDN$40 million/year in chemical fungicides where growers are increasingly seeking non-chemical alternatives and represents the company’s beachhead into Europe. The entire European fungicide and insecticide market is approximately CDN $9.0 billion, of which approximately CDN$1.0 billion is a target for BVT’s bee delivery system.

“Growers in Europe face a great number of restrictions on chemical pesticide use, said Ashish Malik, CEO of Bee Vectoring Technologies. “Products such as ours, have both the advantage of being biologic as well as fitting nicely with European practices for sustainable and precision agriculture.”

Swiss growers are early adopters of the most advanced technologies and the Swiss registration scheme allows for a relatively fast approval, within a year, for registration dossiers which are deemed to be complete.

“We are excited by the interest in our product which has led to active discussions with two possible partners concurrent with preparing an independent go-to-market option,” said Christoph Lehnen, Business Manager, Europe (pictured here carrying the Swiss regulatory submission).

BVT will initially target crops that require pollination and are susceptible to diseases such as botrytis, such as strawberries and tomatoes. Application of Clonostachys rosea CR-7 before pathogens infect the plant, not only controls disease, but can improve plant vigor as well as quality and yield at harvest.

The BVT system uses bumble bees to carry product directly to key areas of target plants in doses significantly lower than traditional spray applications. Additionally, using bees to deliver the product allows growers to reduce their consumption of water and diesel.

About Bee Vectoring Technologies International Inc.:

BVT has developed and owns patent-pending bee vectoring technology that is designed to harmlessly utilize bumble bees and honey bees as natural delivery mechanisms for a variety of powdered mixtures comprised of organic compounds that inhibit or control common crop diseases, while at the same time enhancing crop vigor and productivity. This unique and proprietary process enables a targeted delivery of crop controls using the simple process of bee pollination to replace traditional crop spraying, resulting in better yields, superior quality, and less impact on the environment without the use of water or disruptions to labor.

Source : beevt

Video: The Investment Opportunities of Industrial Hemp

The fledgling U.S. hemp industry is decades behind countries like Canada, France and China, but according to impact investor and this week’s podcast guest, Pierre Berard, it could flourish into a $2.2 billion industry by 2030 and create thousands of jobs.

To reach its potential, what the hemp industry needs most right now, Berard said, is capital investment.

Last month, Berard published a report titled “Seeing the U.S. Industrial Hemp Opportunity — A Pioneering Venture for Investors and Corporations Driven by Environmental, Social and Financial Concerns” in which he lays out the case for investment.

It’s as if Berard, with this report, is waving a giant flag, trying to attract the eyes of investors, saying, “Look over here. Look at all this opportunity.”

Berard likens the burgeoning American hemp industry to a developing country.

“There is no capital. People don’t want to finance. This is too risky. And I was like, OK, this sounds like something for me,” he said.

As an impact investor who manages funds specializing in agro-processing companies, Berard now has his sights set on the U.S. hemp industry, which he believes has great economic value as well as social and environmental benefits.

He spent many years developing investment in the agriculture infrastructure of developing countries in Latin America and Africa, and said the hemp industry feels similar.

“It is very nascent and it is a very fragmented sector. You have pioneers and trailblazers inventing or reinventing the field after 80 years of prohibition,” he said. “So I feel very familiar with this context.”

On this week’s hemp podcast, Berard talks about the report and the opportunities available to investors in the feed, fiber and food sectors of the hemp industry.

Building an industry around an agricultural commodity takes time, he said. According to the report, “The soybean industry took about 50 years to become firmly established, from the first USDA imports in 1898 to the U.S. being the top worldwide producer in the 1950s.”

Berard has a plan to accelerate the growth of the hemp industry and sees a four-pillar approach to attract investment.

First, he said, the foundation of the industry is the relationship between farmers and processors at the local level.

Second, he said the industry needs what he calls a “federating body” that will represent it, foster markets and innovations, and reduce risk for its members and investors.

The third pillar is “collaboration with corporations that aim to secure or diversify their supply chains with sustainable products and enhance their ESG credentials. This will be key to funding the industry and creating markets,” he said.

The fourth pillar is investment. Lots of it. Over $1.6 billion over seven years. This money will come from government, corporations, individual investors, and philanthropic donors.

The 75-page report goes into detail about the hemp industry, its environmental and social impact, and the opportunities available to investors.

Read the report here: Seeing the U.S. Industrial Hemp Opportunity

Also on this episode, we check in with hemp and bison farmer Herb Grove from Brush Mountain Bison in Centre County, PA, where he grew 50 acres of hemp grain. We’ll hear about harvest and dry down and crushing the seed for oil and cake.