BPIA Adds Biostimulants, Expands Membership Categories
3 January 2017 All indicators appear to point to 2017 being a year of unprecedented growth for the biological products industry, especially biopesticides. The Biopesticide Industry Alliance (BPIA), the U.S.-based trade association representing the biopesticide industry, sees this growth as a huge opportunity to position the organization as a leader for the entire biological sector. In 2016, BPIA saw its own membership numbers swell as it added 25 new member companies, and attendance at its semiannual meetings and workshops hit record highs with hundreds of attendees coming from all over the globe including many delegates from new and potentially new member companies based in Asia, Europe, and South America.
Recognizing the importance of keeping pace with industry growth, BPIA’s Board of Directors took steps this past fall to further expand the association with two key changes to membership categories. Most notably, the Board voted to recognize the increasing importance of production efficiency and maximizing plant potential by including biostimulants within the construct of BPIA. To better accomplish this, the Board established a task force to develop recommendations for implementing biostimulants into the daily activities of the association. The Board also voted to create a new membership category for growers and food processors in response to rising interest in biopesticides from the food value chain.
Keith Jones, Executive Director, Biopesticide Industry Alliance
By delivering effective, sustainable products that meet the needs of society, BPIA’s member companies have created value that extends well beyond the point of sale of biopesticides and has attracted the attention of growers of plants and agricultural produce for commercial sale as well as food processors who combine raw food ingredients to produce marketable food products but do not necessarily hold any type of biopesticide registration themselves.
The growth in BPIA’s membership numbers and the biostimulant industry’s desire to be part of BPIA is a testament to the diligence and hard work of BPIA in particular the efforts of its member companies actively conducting public outreach and aggressively pursuing regulatory and government affairs issues on behalf of its member companies both domestically and internationally. In addition, many BPIA members are heavily involved in research and development that is leading to a refinement of applications and a better understanding of modes of action and how to best use biological products not just in agricultural pest management but also in crop production and a growing number of specialty markets including public health, ornamentals, greenhouses, turf, lawn, and home gardens.
According to Dunham Trimmer LLC, a market research firm that focuses exclusively on the global biological agricultural markets including biopesticides and biostimulants, the global biopesticides market will be $2.75 billion (ex-manufacturer level) in 2017 with a projected compound annual growth rate in excess of 15% for the next five years through 2022, more than twice that of the traditional crop protection market.
There are several drivers for this growth around the world including ever increasing population, more stringent regulations on traditional chemistries, new and innovative biological product development, and expanding consumer demand for more natural and reduced-risk products, particularly in the arena of organic-certified goods and produce.
With a new administration and
Congress being sworn into office early in the new year, many industries are looking to 2017 with concern regarding the potential impact of national politics. By stark contrast, the biological products industry is looking ahead with optimism and a strong sense of anticipation for a year of unparalleled growth that will be propelled by international market forces and business innovation.
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