Dutch crop protection company Koppert Biological Systems has signed a partnership deal with KOI Group of Sudan to further develop sustainable solutions in the East African country.
Sudan is blessed with a wealth of fertile land, on which a huge variety of vegetables, including onions, tomatoes, okra, aubergines, potatoes, watermelons and cucumbers, and tropical fruits are cultivated.
According to Koppert, the two companies plan to explore opportunities for biological crop protection and integrated pest management in Sudan in order to help growers move away from chemicals, encourage sustainable farming practices and promote a culture of safe farming methods that support the government’s food safety and food security initiatives.
KOI group is active in different sectors of the economy, while KOA Sudan focuses on agricultural investments. “There are many opportunities in the Middle East and North Africa, such as Sudan, for sustainable agricultural investment,” saidKhalid Khalil Osman, chairman of KOI Group.
According to Koppert, a comprehensive approach to crops and the environment, through the creation of optimal soil conditions and maximisation of crop resilience, combined with biological pest management solutions, will significantly reduce the use of chemical crop protection products and artificial fertilisers.
KOI’s role will apparently be to support Koppert in challenges related to logistics, knowledge-sharing and motivating the growers to use products that are beneficial not only to the crop, but to people and the environment.
“We need to produce food with less input, but higher yields and quality,” said Koppert managing director Henri Oosthoek. “This means that we need to look at sustainable intensification and produce crops with a lower production risk and less pressure on the environment.”
