Agri-biomolecule developer Fyteko has announced the appointment of Rico Christensen to its board
An experienced crop protection executive, Mr Christensen joins the Belgian agtech start-up’s board at a significant time. September saw
Fyteko sign a distribution agreement with Janssen PMP Crop Management that will take the company’s novel ‘drought proofing’ biostimulant to farmers on four continents.
“My career has been shaped by 25 years in the crop protection industry,” says Mr Christensen, who started his career with Danish company
Cheminova as a marketing trainee.
“The biggest revelation of the last few years has been seeing the positive effect from biostimulants , helping farmers by boosting yields and protecting crops.
“Fyteko’s technology is based on the latest generation of biological science.Through science, we’re beginning to understand and appreciate the potential for biobased agricultural inputs , which makes me excited. ”
Mr Christensen , who has worked with Arysta LifeScience and UPL in executive positions across different geographies such as Europe, Brazil and North America , says the products offer real, value – led solutions for the farmer , but also hold real value for developers and manufacturers.
“A growing market, clearly defined IP, potential for fast growth and a much shorter time to market compared with conventional agrochemicals , means farmers – who are generally conservative in adopting new concepts are likely to be well served and well supported by manufacturers in making the switch.”
While agrochemicals will continue to have a place on farm bioproducts can’t solve all problems Mr Christensen believes bioproducts are growing at a faster pace than the ‘conventional’ agchem market.
“Fyteko is on that journey. Its products Nurspray and Nurseed are already capturing attention, but it’s their development pipeline seed treatments, herbicide enhancers, and more that will have a bigger impact on farmers.”
Mr Christensen will continue to sit on the management team of Nufarm, where he holds the position of Group Executive Portfolio Solutions.
Guillaume Wegria, Co-founder and CEO of Fyteko, says, “We’re delighted to have Rico join us . He enjoys a tremendous amount of respect within the industry and brings with him a detailed understanding of how to achieve commercial success for crop protection products, and the strategy required.
“We welcome Rico to the board for the exciting journey ahead.”
About Fyteko
Fyteko believes in a more sustainable agriculture. Inspired with original research, they’re making it happen.
Founded in 2014, the Brussels based agtech company is focusing on the creation of a bio based input economy for agriculture. Its advanced crop biostimulants emulate solutions that already exist in nature. The company believes this offers the best approach to the common problems and threats facing global crop production, as well as consciously aligning itself with the growing consensus that agricultural is in transition to a lower input, sustainable model that delivers productivity without compromising environmental performance.
As its development pipeline speeds up, Fyteko aims to build a standout portfolio, entirely biological, of relevance to the world’s major crop
producing regions: Europe, the USA, LatAm, and Africa .
