{"id":134936,"date":"2026-07-15T11:12:56","date_gmt":"2026-07-15T15:12:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.agribusinessglobal.com\/?p=134936"},"modified":"2026-07-08T11:13:33","modified_gmt":"2026-07-08T15:13:33","slug":"africas-window-of-opportunity-why-biologicals-are-opening-new-doors-for-crop-protection-companies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.agribusinessglobal.com\/es\/markets\/africas-window-of-opportunity-why-biologicals-are-opening-new-doors-for-crop-protection-companies\/","title":{"rendered":"La ventana de oportunidad de \u00c1frica: por qu\u00e9 los productos biol\u00f3gicos est\u00e1n abriendo nuevas puertas para las empresas de protecci\u00f3n de cultivos."},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa is vast, with 54 sovereign nations, all with different needs, expectations, and regulations, but even with the continent\u2019s expansive geography, a region once associated with easy market access is now considered competitive for synthetic crop protection products.<\/p>\n

Yann Miege, Head of Business Operations, MENA, WECA, and East Africa, for Bancella, a distribution and marketing company that services Africa and the Middle East, says, \u201cWhen companies come to do business in the region, they are usually not expecting to find it so competitive. In the last 10 years, the market has increased. It\u2019s really growing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Where the region does offer room for new products is the biologicals sector. As a main exporter to the European Union notorious for consumers\u2019 demand for lower maximum residue levels, African growers are looking for biological solutions, especially in West Africa, which is a key trading partner to the European Union, with \u20ac68 billion in trade between the two regions in 2025, as reported by the European Commission at policy.trade.ec.europa.eu. The C\u00f4te d\u2019Ivoire, Nigeria, and Ghana export more than 60% of the EU\u2019s imports of cocoa and cocoa products.<\/p>\n

In an interview with Philip Viljoen, Product Manager for Bancela<\/a>, he had a few tips for doing business in Africa for biological companies bringing new products to the region.<\/p>\n

Finding Your Partners<\/h2>\n

\u201cIf you do not have any experience in dealing with African markets and you want to enter it, then 98% of the time, if you go in alone and try to find the right person, you will end up finding the wrong person,\u201d says Viljoen.<\/p>\n

He advises two options. First, you can go to tradeshows, conduct online research, and then meet in person with people that have potential for partnerships. Option two would be to partner with an experienced distribution company to help your company make connections with reputable partners.<\/p>\n

Reputation<\/h2>\n

\u201cPeople\u2019s reputation precedes them,\u201d says Viljoen. \u201cWhen spending time in the various countries, you\u2019ll learn about who to watch out for.\u201d<\/p>\n

Viljoen says some initial questions to ask a potential partner are:<\/p>\n