Mar 14, 2023

New biopesticides position started by Biobest

Biobest Group, a biological control and pollination products provider, has appointed Lara Ramaekers to the new role of business development director of biopesticides.

Ramaekers was global biocontrol portfolio lead at UPL, a Mumbai-based global provider of sustainable agricultural technologies and services. Before that, she worked for Arysta LifeSciences, a crop protection and life science products provided that UPL acquired in 2019.

Derived from plants, bacteria and other microbes, biopesticides are a major growth sector for sustainable horticulture and a key component of residue-free crop production. With considerable experience in early biopesticide product development and the management of strategic marketing alliances and distribution, Ramaekers will develop Biobest’s long term global biopesticides strategy, according to a news release.

“While continuing our programme of acquisitions, we will be looking to build strategic partnerships with key companies in our industry, as well as with pioneering R&D companies at the forefront of new biopesticide technologies and innovations,” Ramaekers said in the release.

An established leader in the field of global IPM and crop pollination, Biobest wants to become a market leader in biopesticides for the greenhouse sector. With IPM technical teams working closely with growers of protected vegetables, fruits, ornamental and medicinal cannabis crops worldwide, Biobest believes it possesses the right setup to achieve their goal, according to the release.

“I was attracted to work for Biobest Group because of its closeness to growers,” Ramaekers said in the release. “The team is genuinely passionate about contributing to sustainable agriculture and works directly with growers, fostering strong working relationships with end-users.”

For her PhD in microbial inoculants of beans, Ramaekers studied N-fixing bacteria Rhizobium and Azospirillum at the university of Leuven in Belgium. Her studies took her to the International Centre of Tropical Agriculture in Colombia and the Kenyan Agricultural and Livestock Research Institute. For the past six years, Ramaekers has chaired the Natural Substances Professional Group of the International Biocontrol Manufacturers’ Association.

Biobest provides growers a wide range of biological control and pollination products.