Chr Hansen & UPL collaborate to develop microbial solutions for sustainable agriculture

Chr Hansen is joining forces with global agricultural solutions provider UPL in a unique partnership to strengthen the existing portfolio of microbial products and provide farmers with sustainable choices beyond conventional agricultural products.

Biological solutions are becoming more and more in demand as the agriculture industry faces challenges such as the growing resistance to chemicals and an increasingly challenging regulatory environment. Developing biostimulants and biopesticides is essential in providing sustainable crop protection while increasing farmers’ yield and productivity.

The best of both worlds

Under the terms of the partnership, Chr Hansen will develop biological products based on their microbial capabilities, and UPL will register and commercialize these products via its extensive global distribution network.

According to Vicente Gongora, chief marketing officer at UPL, “Biosolutions are a core pillar of our global purpose and work to reimagine sustainability – for food systems, for farmers, and our environment. Building on the launch of NPP [Natural Plant Protection – a new global business unit] earlier in the year, we are proud to partner with Chr. Hansen to further expand our portfolio of products and technologies and offer new and sustainable solutions for more farming communities.

Consolidating our distribution networks and R&D facilities alongside Chr Hansen’s unique microbial experience and expertise present a powerful opportunity to change the game for farmers and sustainable agriculture globally. We look forward to sharing more news on the biological solutions that we are developing for the future, and we are excited about the legacy we will build together.”

“UPL is a significant distributor of biosolutions worldwide,” says Kim Müller Christensen, vice president of Plant Health at Chr Hansen. “Combining that with Chr Hansen’s significant innovations in research and development, as well as our unique microbial capabilities and ability to breed our bacteria, will mean better, targeted products that can go to market faster. The partnership is an important step in our 2025 strategy of growing a better world naturally.”

In the best interests of farmers

The Chr Hansen-UPL partnership has already identified several projects relevant to farmers globally. It aims to develop a product pipeline for most major crops to enable farmers to fight crop diseases and increase their yields. The companies expect the first registrations by the end of 2022.

“In essence, the collaboration aims to establish a product pipeline that has the best interests of the farmers at heart,” says Kim Müller Christensen.