AgraQuest and Bayer CropScience have entered into a supply agreement. As per the terms of the agreement, AgraQuest will produce and package products for the new Natria product line from Bayer Advanced, the US consumer products business of Bayer CropScience.
AgraQuest technology, based on its proprietary strain of bacillus subtilis (QST 713), will be used in two Natria products for the home and garden marketplace. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
AgraQuest said that its naturally derived bacillus subtilis QST 713 is the same active ingredient that has been used by commercial farmers and growers for nearly a decade to treat fruits and vegetables for common bacterial and fungal diseases.
The two products, Natria disease control in a 24-ounce ready-to-use bottle and a 28-ounce ready-to-spray, hose-end bottle, will be available at national mass merchant chains and independent retailers for the 2010 season.
Jacqueline Applegate, vice president of consumer products North America and head of Bayer Advanced, said: “The technology and expertise of AgraQuest are a great fit for our new Natria line.”
Mike Miille, president, COO and head of BioInnovations division at AgraQuest, said: “We are excited about our collaboration with Bayer; we believe that this is an ideal avenue to expand our footprint in the home and garden marketplace. Collaborating with Bayer allows us to effectively serve mass merchandisers that had previously been outside our distribution focus of independent garden centers and nurseries.”