After an absence of two years, Koppert representatives joined more than 970 participants from 44 nations for the Annual Biocontrol Industry Meeting in Basel, Switzerland, where the international event took place from 19-20 October.
‘It was an important conference for our industry as the past two years have seen an acceleration in the development of new solutions, techniques and products,’ Global Manager Regulatory Affairs, Evert Hamblok remarked. ‘There are new regulations coming up, new consultancy offices and new product lines. It was good to catch up with the professionals in our industry.’
‘We were able to listen to inspiring discussions, discover and unveil new products, observe new market opportunities, learn about the latest regulatory changes and liaise with fellow professionals. There was a high energy level at the conference and the Koppert team worked from the early hours in the morning to late in the evening,’ Evert reported.
‘ABIM is an increasingly important platform for the biocontrol industry. We are way too humble when it comes to our innovations and need to be more proactive when it comes to profiling and marketing our R&D achievements at this conference. It’s important that we keep being seen as a leader in our industry.’
Koppert takes part in panel discussion and presentations
It was the 16th edition of ABIM and business meetings took place throughout the event which offered a platform for 71 exhibitors. ABIM is an unrivalled meeting place for the biocontrol industry and internationally recognized. Koppert’s stand at the conference was well attended and offered the team the opportunity to meet other industry representative and inform them of our latest products and application techniques.
During the conference, Corporate Director Marketing, Peter Maes, took part in a panel discussion on the role of biocontrol in transforming agriculture. He advocated greater collaboration, dialogue and marketing across the whole value chain, including consumers. General Manager MTA, Sander Prabbruwee, and Marketing Communication Manager, Mattijs Bodegom, spoke about the role of UAVs and the autonomous application and monitoring technologies for biocontrol.
Underlining the importance of biocontrol
Jennifer Lewis, Executive Director of the International Biocontrol Manufacturers Association (IBMA): ‘Biocontrol is an important and essential instrument for our society when facing current and future challenges in the fields of agriculture and nutrition. It’s great that this fact is now recognized.’
Lucius Tamm, Head of Crop Sciences at the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture: ‘Biocontrol delivers crucial solutions and can shape the transformation process to sustainable agriculture successfully. This is why this annual meeting for the biocontrol industry is so important – for the industry itself and for society as a whole.’
(Source: ABIM Newsletter 5)