FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Plant Growth Regulator in line with a record apple crop in Washington state, offsetting increasing challenges among growers to secure farm labor.
LIBERTYVILLE, IL, November 30, 2012 – Valent BioSciences Corporation (VBC), a leader in biorational product development for agriculture, public health, and forestry worldwide, announced today it has achieved record sales for ReTain®.
Launched in 1996, ReTain is an advanced formulation of the biochemical aminoethoxyvinylglycine (AVG). A natural compound produced through fermentation, AVG inhibits the biosynthesis of ethylene in plants and has become a mainstay in harvest management programs in the U.S. and other prominent pome and stone fruit producing regions of the world.
Biorationals are products typically derived from biological origins that are highly specific in their activity while providing economic, health, and/or environmental benefits. Biorational products include microbial insecticides, fungicides, and nematicides, as well as plant growth regulators used in production agriculture and for managing plant growth, quality and stress in crops.
“We applaud the efforts of the Washington apple industry for another record crop and are proud of the role our products and support team have played in achieving this milestone,” said Johan Pienaar, VBC’s global business manager for the company’s plant growth regulator business unit. Pienaar indicates that Washington is forecasting an apple crop in the range of 122 million packed boxes for 2012, 10% higher than the record of 110 million boxes set last year.
By using ReTain, growers are able to delay ripening in desired blocks within the orchard by precise amounts of time. In treating multiple blocks, growers stagger their harvesting activities to align with the availability of their labor resources while at the same time ensuring their fruit is picked at its maximum level of quality.
Byron Phillips, the local sales representative for VBC’s sister company Valent U.S.A. Corporation, said the ReTain experience has been a clear case of growers gaining knowledge and experience with a technology that brings an immediate impact on their bottom line.
“We’ve worked hand-in-hand with the Washington apple industry developing this product for the last fifteen years,” Phillips said. “Over time, we’ve become better at adjusting rates and timing based upon the variety, block, and the goals of the particular grower. By working together and sharing information, we continue to improve.”
Pienaar reports that additional products to support VBC’s extensive portfolio of biorational sizing and thinning solutions are nearing commercialization. The company is poised to launch its next offering in 2013.
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About Valent BioSciences Corporation
About Valent BioSciences Corporation: Headquartered in Libertyville, IL, Valent BioSciences is a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Sumitomo Chemical Company and is the worldwide leader in the development, manufacturing and commercialization of biorational products with sales in 95 countries around the world. Valent BioSciences is an ISO 9001:2008 Certified Company. For additional information, visit the company’s website at www.valentbiosciences.com.
About Valent U.S.A. Corporation
Valent, headquartered in Walnut Creek, Calif., develops and markets products in the United States and Canada that protect agricultural crops, enhance crop yields, improve food quality, beautify the environment and safeguard public health. Valent products include a well-known line of quality herbicide, insecticide, fungicide and plant growth regulator products for agricultural, seed protection and professional use. It differentiates itself from its competitors as a leader in marketing and sales of both biorational and traditional chemical products. For additional information, visit the company’s website at www.valent.com
Media Contact:
Barbara Wendling
Valent BioSciences Corporation
847-968-4793
Email: barbara.wendling@valentbiosciences.com