Dutch biological inputs giant Koppert is set to invest $ 200 million to establish two new manufacturing plants in Brazil by 2030, strengthening its foothold in tropical agriculture and addressing the rising pest and disease pressure. The investment aligns with Koppert’s strong focus on research and development (R&D), particularly in biological crop protection for tropical environments.
According to Gustavo Herrmann, Koppert’s Commercial Director, the new plants—expected to be operational within two to three years—will ramp up the company’s high-tech production capabilities. One facility will specialise in bacteria, while the other will produce fungi-based solutions, both tailored to growing market needs. Herrmann explained that this expansion is the outcome of a strategic decision taken years ago, which also led to the 2021 launch of SPARCBio, an advanced research hub at ESALQ–University of São Paulo. The center currently runs over 30 R&D lines across four domains, including efforts to develop a bioherbicide—a long-awaited addition to the biological inputs market.
Koppert currently channels around 7–8 per cent of its global revenues into R&D, equivalent to up to €4 million, from expected revenues exceeding €50 million in 2025. Besides Brazil, the company also runs a production facility in Argentina.
The planned expansion will multiply Koppert’s production capacity by five to seven times, a move Herrmann sees as future-ready, anticipating growing global demand for biocontrol solutions. Despite biological inputs currently making up just 7 per cent of the global plant protection market, Herrmann believes they could surpass chemical inputs within 20 years as control paradigms shift.
With Brazil emerging as a global leader in large-scale biological control adoption, Koppert intends to use its enhanced production to serve international markets, especially the United States and Europe. The company is already registering products overseas based on the same Brazilian-developed technologies.
“Brazil leads the world in biological control for major crops,” Herrmann said, adding that teams from the US, Germany, and France frequently visit to study the country’s successful model. Koppert currently markets 40 registered biological products in Brazil and is actively developing another 40, including next-generation bioherbicides.
