Supporting safe, secure & sustainable agriculture for over 20 years
A Bioline Agrosciences Group company, is Africa’s leader in Integrated Pest Management (IPM) with a wealth of experience in designing and delivering biological pest control solutions developed “By Growers for Growers”. Established in 2001 they have rapidly grown into a global biotechnology business, employing leading entomologists and microbiologists to develop solutions to reduce pesticide use and improve soil health and long-term sustainability in agriculture. To understand Dudutech’s milestones and IPM industry in Kenya Dudutech’s team had this to say.
What would you consider as the greatest milestones in the 20 years you have been in operation?
In the 20 years Dudutech has been in operation, our team have achieved many significant milestones, especially in research, product development, commercialisation and quality.
In 2001, Dudutech was incorporated, utilising the Round 1 investment to recruit leading scientists to accelerate R&D and develop the early product lines. Between 2003 and 2020 we were able to bring 17 key in-house products to market in 10 countries across Africa, Europe and North America.
To support the supply of this portfolio to our customers, we built the largest bio-manufacturing facility in Sub-Saharan Africa – including a 16Ha outdoor insectary, four indoor insectaries and multiple commercial-scale nematode and fungal production labs. By 2018 we had attained the ISO 9001:2015 accreditation, driving the whole business to focus on world-class quality in every decision.
Developing the business from R&D to its premier position today would not have been possible without the foresight and support of some incredible investment partners, namely Homegrown, James Finlays (Swire), Flamingo Horticulture Investments and Sun Capital Partners (Private Equity). Dudutech as part of James Finlays and then Flamingo Horticulture were able to significantly reduce chemical use on their tea, cut-flowers and vegetable operations around Kenya. Finally, in 2021, Bioline Agrosciences, a major biocontrol’s player with over 40 years’ history, 37 products and a global footprint, acquired Dudutech outright. The Dudutech biofactory facility became their 8th global production site.
To what extent has the IPM industry grown over the years in Kenya and what would you attribute that growth to?
IPM around the world and in Kenya has seen double-digit growth fueled by consumer demand for safer produce, retailor & government regulatory pressure, as well the economic need to maximise yield. Our products work as an alternative for harmful chemicals, and hand in hand with compatible chemistry leading to what we like to call ‘environmentally intelligent farming’.
With an increasingly stricter export market on quality and safety, what has been the contribution of Dudutech in assisting the Kenyan horticulture industry meet the export standards of key markets like the EU?
Our role has been to unearth and supply farmers with safe alternatives to chemicals and provide them with on-farm support through our technical leads, thereby enabling the farmers to make the right choices for their key market. When using IPM, growers promote the health and quality of the whole crop.
What would you say sets you apart from others in the IPM industry in the country?
We are immensely proud of our robust product portfolio, stringent quality standards and experienced customer support which really sets us apart from others in the sector. With the Bioline Agrosciences acquisition, Dudutech customers in Africa will benefit from our multi-site approach spanning three continents and a 40 year legacy as the most advanced producer of beneficial insects in the world. Bioline has a strong market reputation as a specialist service provider, focusing its efforts on the science and success of its products in field, supported by a robust investment of circa 10% of revenue into research and development globally.
Dudutech was recently acquired by Bioline Agrosciences. What exactly are the terms of the acquisition and what does the acquisition portends for Dudutech and the plans you have to position IPM practices in driving sustainable food production.
Bioline Agrosciences acquired 100% of Dudutech share capital from Flamingo Horticulture, bringing together our kindred cultures of teamwork, quality and innovation. We have plans for a wider portfolio, an emphasis on innovation and investment in expansion to help us better serve our customers on the continent. Work has already started on significantly increasing and advancing our production facilities in Africa leading to superior quality and availability year round.
What are the greatest threats for the IPM industry at the moment?
There are a number of threats that we are currently facing and addressing, namely: farmer education, adoption rates, food safety awareness and competition from low-quality products.
Promoting an understanding of the most basic principles of IPM will have a widespread impact on the health and wellbeing of farmers and their customers. Although the mechanisms domesticated in IPM technology are based on natural bio-relationships, the conditions required for their success may not come naturally to farmers. IPM is more than a set of products, it is a philosophy of cultivation that benefits many farm practices from soil health management to variety selection.
Related to this is the problem of adoption rates. While export growers have widely adopted IPM following increasing MRL restrictions, those on the mid and small scale, who supply the local market, are less compelled to do so. This challenge can directly be addressed by improving consumer and grower food safety awareness.
Given the massive, systemic nature of the food safety issue regarding pesticides, a seismic shift is needed in the general public’s understanding of pesticides in food production. That understanding has the potential to shape policy and spur demand for safe, secure and sustainable agriculture. For the layperson, the current global conversation on this can be boiled down to, “Some pesticides are good, let’s promote and prefer those. Some pesticides are bad when used inappropriately, let’s regulate and educate. Some pesticides are bad for people and the environment, let’s ban those.”
While regulation ensures that quality-tested products make it to market, the framework is currently inconsistent around the world. The rules on acceptable safety can differ significantly from country to country. This variation is particularly difficult when countries favour looser regulations, allowing low-quality products to make it to market, often diminishing the reputation of all biocontrols.
To meet these challenges, Dudutech has joined intra-industry organisations such as the IBMA (International Biocontrol Manufacturers Association) and BPG (Bio-Protection Global) whose members help shape the conversation and policy on agriculture around the world.
How has COVID-19 shaped your business and how have you managed to remain resilient?
As is the case for many businesses around Kenya, Africa and the world, COVID-19 meant we had to tighten up, reshape and innovate. Our management team faced the pandemic proactively, looking ahead for threats as battening as needed. We streamlined our supply chain for efficient procurement amidst shortages, tuned production to deliver more and developed systems for precise global logistics.
Our employee safety is incredibly important to us. Beyond equipment staff with necessary PPE, temperature screening, social distancing, installing sanitisers and reducing bus capacity, we installed contactless biometric systems and extensive COVID-19 training for our staff members. The whole team responded beyond expectation, they quickly became aware of the issue through close communication at all levels and adapted to ensure the safety of their colleagues.
For example, during the early days of COVID-19 in Kenya, international flights to Jomo Kenyatta International virtually halted, making it nearly impossible to deliver to customers outside of Africa. Eric Langat, the Packhouse and Logistics Manager, had to reimagine the global air cargo network and closely monitor each destination, transit stop and airline for changes.
Upstream from us, the floriculture industry has demonstrated resilience during the pandemic and the IPM providers have been supporting them.
What do you envision as the future of the biocontrol market in Kenya, regionally and globally?
Biocontrols are growing at a double-digit pace in Kenya and Africa as pressure for safer food increases from consumers and their families, sustainable agriculture is becoming more widely adopted.
The role of IPM and ICM has been recognised at an industrial level and this has had an impact on both input providers and producers themselves. The success of IPM has triggered a revolution in synthetic chemical pesticides with new products being positioned as “IPM compatible”.
What plans do you have, mid and long term moving forward?
In the mid to long term will be scaling our production footprint following an investment by Bioline Agrosciences in order to serve customers across Africa and the middle east with a vision to expand beyond horticulture.
Any additional comments?
We’re really excited to have joined the BAS group who have similar culture and values and appetite to build a win-win relationship between farmers and consumers.
