Revitalizing Cocoa Production with Biostimulants – Insights from Agri Tecno’s Virtual Workshop
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Agri Tecno, a leading biostimulant company, organized an online workshop titled “Revitalizing Cocoa Production with Biostimulants” – a topic that I found very interesting.
The workshop was brilliantly moderated by Alejandra Flores, who seamlessly guided us through the agenda: understanding challenges faced by cocoa farmers, exploring Agri Tecno’s biostimulant solutions, and discussing real demonstrations and results. The expert panelists, Sergio Ramis (Sales Manager) and Emma Cascant (Innovation Manager) shared their invaluable insights.
Talking Point 1: Challenges in the Cocoa Sector
Sergio kicked off by highlighting the “3 Fs” – Farmers struggling with poverty, low Fruit yields and quality, and environmental issues like deforestation of Forests. He emphasized that any solution must address all three concerns to be truly sustainable.
Talking Point 2: Agri Tecno’s Biostimulant Technology
Emma then elaborated on Agri Tecno’s innovative and exclusive biostimulant extracts derived from fermented plant materials. These extracts contain amino acids, peptides, vitamins and other bioactive compounds that can enhance plant metabolism, nutrient uptake efficiency, stress tolerance and overall crop development.
Two key products focused on were:
1) Tecamin Max – A foliar growth biostimulant that improved nitrogen use efficiency by 65% in trials.
2) Tecamin Flower – An amino acid-based flowering/fruiting stimulant that increased cocoa yields by up to 47%.
Talking Point 3: Demonstration Results
The highlight was results from a cocoa trial in Ecuador in collaboration with a university. Tecamin Flower delivered the highest yield increase of 47% compared to the untreated control. Impressively, the combined biostimulant program enhanced yields by around 30% on average.
What I Learned
This workshop opened my eyes to the immense potential of biostimulants in sustainable cocoa production. Some key takeaways:
1) Biostimulants can help address the interdependent challenges of farmer poverty, low productivity and environmental impact.
2) Unlike conventional fertilizers, biostimulants enhance the plant’s natural processes for better nutrient use, stress tolerance and development.
3) Fermented plant extract-based biostimulants like Agri Tecno’s are a powerhouse of bioactive compounds beneficial for crops.
4) With the right biostimulant program, cocoa yields and quality can be substantially boosted in an eco-friendly manner.
5) Specific biostimulants can be strategically applied at different crop stages for targeted benefits.
Kudos to Agri Tecno for organizing such an insightful workshop and sharing their cutting-edge biostimulant innovations with the cocoa sector. I’m inspired to explore integrating their solutions into sustainable cocoa production programs.
In conclusion, revitalizing the cocoa sector is a multi-pronged challenge, but biostimulants emerge as a promising solution that deserves our attention and adoption. The future of cocoa cultivation lies in harnessing nature’s intelligence through these biotechnologies.
Check also: Sustainable Palm Oil in Africa : An Interview with RSPO’s Africa Head
