Bee Vectoring Technologies International Inc. (the
“Company” or “BVT”) (TSXV: BEE) (OTCQB:
BEVVF) today announced Sizemore Farms, a top-tier grower
of Florida strawberries, as the first commercial grower deal for
their newly US EPA-registered product, VECTORITE™ with CR-7. The
BVT system uses commercially-managed bees to carry its all natural
plant protection product, VECTORITE™ with CR-7, directly to key
areas of target plants – using significantly less product than
traditional spray applications and reducing water and fossil fuel
consumption.
Sizemore Farms will be using the Company’s
proprietary bee delivery system and VECTORITE™ with CR-7 on 100% of
their 62-acre organic strawberry crop this season and is
considering testing the naturally-derived fungicide on a portion of
their 600+ conventional acres for possible implementation on next
year's crop. Typically, growers start with a pilot on a smaller
crop before progressively adopting it across their entire operation
over two to three seasons. This progressive adoption and deployment
of BVT product season over season is to be expected with the
Company’s customer base of growers and farmers.
Strawberries are big business: Florida produces
about 20 million flats a year with a value of over US$307 million,
second only to California.(1) John Sizemore, fourth-generation
grower and co-owner of Sizemore Farms with his brother Jeff, is a
grower and shipper of the Florida Supreme brand strawberries. He
has clearly observed that consumers want more organics and fewer
chemicals, and isn't surprised that organic strawberries have
become the fastest growing segment of his business. However, he
also knows that growing produce in Florida’s finicky climate has
its challenges, so he's excited about using BVT's unique biological
product and process to ensure a quality crop.
“Sizemore Farms is BVT’s first committed order
on a commercial crop after our recent US EPA approval, and we're
excited to have them be our first partner in the commercialization
phase of operation,” says Ashish Malik, CEO of BVT. “Sizemore Farms
trialed BVT last year and were very pleased to see a 27% minimum
increase in marketable yield compared to the untreated plots. This
commercial deal is a direct outcome of that trial. We look forward
to working further with John Sizemore, who is a progressive farmer
that is very influential among the Florida strawberry grower
community – and to working with other like-minded growers.”
BVT is busy working with other commercial
growers to acquire additional orders as blooming season approaches.
Additionally, the Company is committed to fully selling the
allocation of bees it ordered earlier in the summer to allow its
suppliers sufficient time to grow the hives in time for the
strawberry season. Strawberry growing season is now underway in
Florida; next up is the January blueberry season in Florida and the
February blueberry season in Georgia, North Carolina, New Jersey
and the Pacific Northwest.
The agricultural industry is undergoing a
significant transformation to greener technology. The disruptor is
biological pesticides, of which CR-7 is at the forefront.
Biopesticides, another term for it, is an evolving field and
increasingly replacing chemical pesticides for commercial farming.
The market for biopesticides is projected to be larger than the
market for chemicals(2) within 30 years. The biopesticide market is
currently estimated to be worth almost $5 billion(3) with a future
growth rate of between 10% and 20%.
(1) Source: USDA, 2018 Agricultural Statistics
Annual.
(2) Source: Serazetdinova L. The future of crop
protection. Innovate UK Knowledge Transfer Network, nEUROSTRESSPEP.
2019.
(3) Source: Persistence Market Research Pvt.
Ltd. Biopesticides market is forecasted to reach US$ ~ 13.0 billion
by the end of 2029. PMR; 2019.
www.persistencemarketresearch.com.
About VECTORITE™ with CR-7 In August 2019, the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency approved Clonostachys
rosea CR-7 (CR-7) for use as a fungicide on commercial
crops. CR-7 is the first registered active ingredient for the
company and the first active ingredient approved by the EPA for
application via bees, known as “bee vectoring,” in which BVT is a
global leader.
Sold under the brand name VECTORITE™ with CR-7,
the product is labeled for numerous high-value crops, including
strawberries, blueberries, sunflowers and almonds. With the EPA
registration VECTORITE with CR-7 (EPA Registration No. 90641-2) is
available now for sale as a registered fungicide for use on the
labeled crops.
About Bee Vectoring Technologies
International Inc.BVT's patent-pending bee vectoring
technology harmlessly uses bumblebees and honeybees as natural,
precision delivery mechanisms for organic compounds that inhibit or
control common crop diseases while enhancing crop vigor and
productivity. This proprietary process enables a targeted delivery
of crop controls via bee pollination to replace traditional
spraying. It requires a minimal amount of active ingredient and
results in better yields, superior quality produce, and reduces
environmental impact, water use and disruptions to farm labor due
to the use of chemical pesticides.
Additional information is available at
www.beevt.com
Contact:Ashish Malik, President & CEOmarketing@beevt.com
Babak Pedram, Investor Relations Virtus Advisory GroupTel:
416-995-8651bpedram@virtusadvisory.com
Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation
Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the
TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or
accuracy of this release.
Certain statements contained in this press
release constitute "forward-looking information" as such term is
defined in applicable Canadian securities legislation. The words
"may", "would", "could", "should", "potential", "will", "seek",
"intend", "plan", "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "expect" and
similar expressions as they relate to the Company, “annual revenue
potential”, are intended to identify forward-looking information.
All statements other than statements of historical fact may be
forward-looking information. Such statements reflect the Company’s
current views and intentions with respect to future events, and
current information available to the Company, and are subject to
certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions, including: planted
acres of strawberries in Florida, selling price of competitive
chemical pesticides and the US to Canadian dollar exchange rate.
Material factors or assumptions were applied in providing
forward-looking information. Many factors could cause the actual
results, performance or achievements that may be expressed or
implied by such forward-looking information to vary from those
described herein should one or more of these risks or uncertainties
materialize. These factors include changes in law, competition,
litigation, the ability to implement business strategies and pursue
business opportunities, state of the capital markets, the
availability of funds and resources to pursue operations, new
technologies, the ability to protect intellectual property rights,
the ability to obtain patent protection for products, third-party
intellectual property infringement claims, regulatory changes
affecting products, failing research and development activities,
the ability to reach and sustain profitability, dependence on
business and technical experts, the ability to effectively manage
business operations and growth, issuance of debt, dilution of
existing securities, volatility of publicly traded securities,
potential conflicts of interest, unlikelihood of dividend payments,
the potential costs stemming from defending third-party
intellectual property infringement claims, the ability to secure
relationships with manufacturers and purchasers, as well as general
economic, market and business conditions, as well as those risk
factors discussed or referred to in the Company’s Filing Statement
dated May 29, 2015, filed with the securities regulatory
authorities in certain provinces of Canada and available at
www.sedar.com. Should any factor affect the Company in an
unexpected manner, or should assumptions underlying the
forward-looking information prove incorrect, the actual results or
events may differ materially from the results or events predicted.
Any such forward-looking information is expressly qualified in its
entirety by this cautionary statement. Moreover, the Company does
not assume responsibility for the accuracy or completeness of such
forward-looking information. The forward-looking information
included in this press release is made as of the date of this press
release and the Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update
or revise any forward-looking information, other than as required
by applicable law. All figures are in Canadian dollars.
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