Performance, not price, will determine the future of biologicals in high-value crops

The global biologicals industry is at a pivotal moment: while demand for sustainable crop production solutions continues to grow, the sector risks undermining its own potential if biological products continue to be positioned primarily as lower-cost alternatives to conventional crop protection products, according to Dr. Minshad Ansari, Founder and CEO of the Bionema Group.

In a special analysis exclusive for AgroPages, Ansari argued that the greatest commercial opportunity for biologicals lies not in broad-acre commodity crops, but in high-value horticultural and plantation systems, in which growers prioritize crop quality, residue compliance, export market access, and return on investment over simple input costs.

"Biologicals are not simply cheaper versions of synthetic chemistry," Ansari said. "Their strongest commercial role is in high-value crops, where growers are buying much more than pest or disease control. They are investing in crop quality, shelf life, residue security, resistance management, and long-term profitability."

Further, according to Ansari, fruits, vegetables, berries, grapes, citrus, avocados, ornamentals, flowers, coffee, cocoa and other specialty crops present the greatest opportunity for biological technologies because growers operate under stringent quality standards and face significant commercial risks associated with rejected shipments.

"In these production systems, the value of a biological product isn't measured only by cost per hectare," he noted. "It's measured by whether it protects marketable yield, maintains quality and preserves access to premium customers."

Product categories require clearer differentiation

Ansari believes one of the industry's largest challenges is found in the increasingly broad use of the term "biologicals" to describe fundamentally different technologies.

He noted that biopesticides, biostimulants, biofertilizers, microbial inoculants and botanical extracts serve distinct purposes, operate through different mechanisms, and are subject to different regulatory frameworks.

"A biopesticide is not a biostimulant. A biostimulant is not a biofertilizer. Each category has different claims, scientific evidence requirements and grower expectations," he said. "The industry needs to communicate these distinctions much more clearly."

Market expansion alone will not create value

The agricultural biologicals market is forecast to nearly double over the next five years, reflecting growing interest in sustainable crop production worldwide.

Brazil illustrates this expansion particularly well. The country's bioinputs market has recorded rapid growth in recent years, driven by the increasing adoption of biological control agents, inoculants, biostimulants and nutrient-solubilizing products.

However, Ansari warned that market growth does not automatically translate into premium value.

"When biologicals are commercialized primarily in large-scale commodity crops, they quickly become price-driven products," he added. "As more companies enter with similar claims, differentiation decreases and margins inevitably come under pressure."

Instead, he believes high-value crops provide a more sustainable commercial model because growers evaluate products based upon their ability to reduce residue risks, improve crop quality, enhance shelf life, strengthen root health, and support integrated pest management (IPM) programs.

Residue management becoming a commercial advantage

Additionally, Ansari identified increasingly stringent residue requirements as one of the strongest drivers of biological adoption among export-oriented producers.

European retailers, in particular, frequently apply pesticide residue standards that exceed legal Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs), making residue management a key component of maintaining access to premium markets.

"A well-designed biological program can help growers reduce synthetic applications late in the season, lower residue pressure, protect harvest intervals and strengthen integrated pest management," he said. "That creates real commercial value."

For exporters of fresh produce, even isolated cases of residue non-compliance can result in rejected shipments, contract losses and damaged relationships with retailers.

Product quality remains the industry's biggest challenge

Despite the growing market, Ansari noted that biologicals will only achieve their full commercial potential if manufacturers consistently deliver reliable field performance.

For microbial products, he highlighted viable Colony-Forming Units (CFUs), formulation stability, shelf life, contamination control and compatibility under field conditions as critical quality parameters.

"If viable microbial populations decline before application, performance suffers," he said. "Growers don't say the CFU was too low or the formulation was unstable. They simply conclude that biologicals don't work."

Botanical products, however, face different quality challenges, including the consistency of raw materials, standardized marker compounds, impurity control and batch-to-batch reproducibility, he added.

According to Ansari, inconsistent product quality has become one of the sector's greatest obstacles to wider adoption.

Five priorities for the industry

To accelerate adoption, Ansari believes the biologicals industry should focus on five priorities: clearly defining product categories; emphasizing return on investment instead of cost per hectare; manufacturing for consistent performance; developing crop-specific programs tailored to high-value crops; and providing stronger technical support to growers.

"The next phase of biologicals will not be won by companies that simply launch more products," he noted. "It will be won by companies that deliver better biologicals—better defined, better formulated, better quality-controlled, better supported and consistently proven under commercial field conditions."

For Ansari, sustainability messaging alone will not secure long-term market success.

"Sustainability may open the door," he said. "But only consistent field performance will keep the grower."