BRUSSELS, June 2, 2009: New developments in biocontrols and Integrated Pest Management (IPM) represent an important part of the future for growers of high value crops. With the full integration of Biological Crop Protection Ltd into the company as BCP Certis in 2008, Certis Europe reinforced its long-standing focus on providing solutions that respond to growers’ needs in today’s markets.
 

Certis has been able to take advantage of the synergies between the two businesses in developing IPM strategies in an ever-broader range of crops.
With considerable expertise in providing IPM advice in protected vegetables, ornamentals and soft fruit, the company has launched an initiative in Spain to help growers to produce with zero residues and it is expanding its activity across Certis territories where IPM markets are not yet fully developed. One good example would be the Netherlands where ornamental growers have shown a general move to the use of beneficials for pest control but there are still many opportunities in this sector in France. In the meantime IPM approaches in tree crops are becoming more important and whilst these revolve around the use of pheromones for “attract and kill” and mating disruption techniques rather than beneficial insects, the principles are similar. These techniques are becoming the norm in many regions and Certis Europe is ideally placed to provide advice and expertise in this area. 
IPM techniques are also expanding outside Europe: the use of biocontrols with beneficial insects is now growing in tomatoes, peppers and strawberries in Morocco and in flower and vegetable crops in Kenya.
As requirements for crop protection product registrations become more demanding and companies decide not to invest in the necessary costly process, a number of products will disappear. For Certis biological controls and IPM are an important part of the company’s offering and its investment in BCP Certis is an indication of the confidence it has in the future of the business and its ongoing commitment to its IPM offer.
Certis Europe is the crop protection business of Mitsui & Co.  The company specialises in offering integrated crop solutions, encompassing both chemical and biological technologies, for high value speciality crops. 

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