REG - Plant Health Care - Mexico approves SAORI

Plant Health CareAnnouncement

22/02/2024 07:00

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RNS Number : 9949D  Plant Health Care PLC  22 February 2024

22 February
2024

 

Plant Health Care plc

 ("Plant Health Care" or the "Company")

 

Mexico approves SAORI(®) to Control Diseases in Vegetables, Berries and
Grapes

 

Plant Health Care(®) (AIM.PHC.L), a leading provider of peptides used by
growers to improve crop production and quality within global agriculture
markets, is pleased to announce registration of the fungicide, SAORI(®),
in Mexico for commercial launch.

 

Highlights

-     SAORI is a novel peptide fungicide which provides farmers with a
novel mode of action to control damaging plant diseases, including Late
Blight, Downy Mildew, and Gray Mold as part of an integrated disease control
program;

-     The Company will be launching SAORI at the end of Q3 of 2024 through
its most important distributors for use by farmers growing berries, grapes,
cucumbers, tomatoes and other solanaceous and cucurbitaceous crops in Mexico.

 

SAORI is a broad-spectrum biological fungicide with a novel mode of action
that provides control of fungal and bacterial plant pathogens across a wide
range of agricultural crops.  When used as part of an integrated disease
control program, SAORI provides growers with a low use rate, environmentally
friendly option to displace established synthetic chemical fungicides and
provide improved overall disease control, crop yield and harvest quality.
SAORI is safe for growers and farm workers and is exempt from Maximum Residue
Limit (MRL) restrictions which gives greater access to high value export
markets.  Control of Gray Mold (Botrytis cinerea) in berries and grapes,
Downy Mildew (Pseudoperonospora cubensis) in cucurbits such as cucumbers, and
Late Blight (Phytothphora infestans) in tomatoes and other Solanaceae crops
are claims listed on the initial SAORI product label with additional claims on
other crops and phytopathogens to follow in the future. The current planted
area in Mexico for berries totals 55,000 hectares, tomato 48,000 hectares,
peppers 150,000 hectares and potato 60,000 hectares. Mexico is the world's
largest exporter of cucumbers and production of cucumbers in Mexico is
expected to reach 1.02 million metric tons by 2026.  In 2022, the
plant-applied biopesticides market in Mexico, which includes both
biofungicides and bioinsecticides, was estimated at $200 million, growing at a
CAGR of %14.3.

 

The Company submitted the SAORI application for regulatory review to the
Federal Committee for Protection from Sanitary Risks (COFEPRIS) in September
2023.  The regulatory process in Mexico for agricultural products involves a
detailed and comprehensive review of standard safety and performance data
including replicated small plot field trials to confirm product efficacy.

 

SAORI is a novel product based on the Company's innovative PREtec technology
platform. Derived from natural proteins, PREtec is an environmentally
friendly technology which stimulates plant defense and pathogen resistance
mechanisms within plants. Years of research, field testing, and commercial
experience have confirmed that PREtec products deliver improved crop growth,
harvest quality, and grower profitability.

 

Compared with alternative biological products, SAORI brings highly consistent
product efficacy across a broad spectrum of application and environmental
conditions and is compatible with fungicides, herbicides, and insecticides in
tank-mix and sequential application systems.  SAORI has a two-year shelf-life
with no special requirements for storing or handling, which allows greater
flexibility within the distribution channel and ease of on-farm application.
 

 

Jeff Tweedy, CEO of Plant Health Care, said: ‟I am pleased with the rapid
approval of SAORI by COFEPRIS. The smooth approval process was completed well
ahead of forecast and validates all the hard work undertaken by the Company to
submit a comprehensive data package demonstrating the safety and efficacy of
SAORI.

 

‟As the 11th largest global food producer, Mexico provides a tremendous
opportunity for the adoption of SAORI to support sustainable agriculture.
Building on the current success of our ProAct(®) biostimulant, our dedicated
team in Mexico is already laying the groundwork to get SAORI into the hands of
farmers later this year to help Mexican farmers sustainably produce their
vegetable and berry crops. The approval of SAORI supports the Company's vision
to be a leading global provider of alternatives to conventional synthetic
agrochemicals. We are excited about the developing plans to launch SAORI in
2024, with strong growth thereafter."

 

# # #

 

 

For further information, please contact:

 

 Plant Health Care plc
 Jeff Tweedy, CEO

                                                         Tel: +1 919 926 1600
 Cavendish Capital Markets Limited - Nomad & Broker      Tel: +44 (0) 131 220 9771
 Neil McDonald / Pete Lynch

 

 

About Plant Health Care

Plant Health Care offers products to improve the health, vigour and yield of
major field crops such as corn, soybeans, sugarcane, potatoes, rice, and
wheat, as well as specialty crops such as fruits and vegetables. We operate
globally through subsidiaries, distributors, and supply agreements with major
industry partners. Our innovative, patent-protected biological products help
growers to protect their crops from stress and diseases, and to produce higher
quality fruit and vegetables, with a favourable environmental profile.

 

Find out more at www.planthealthcare.com (http://www.planthealthcare.com/)

 

 

 

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