One of the companies that has recently joined IMPPA AG is Suterra, a global leader in the development of biological control technologies for agricultural pests. Suterra is part of The Wonderful Company, which operates a wide range of agribusinesses internationally and is one of the main fruit producers in California. “We are a company of agricultural origin. We look for solutions that are very practical in their use, highly effective and sustainable. That is our hallmark,” emphasizes the General Manager for Latin America, Diego Paniagua.
You work on the technique of Sexual Disruption or Confusion of insect pests in agriculture as a sustainable alternative to pesticides. What does this system consist of?
Pheromones are used to influence the behavior of a pest species, allowing the control of its birth without killing the individuals. The great advantage of this technology is its sustainability, reducing the use and residue of pesticides and increasing care for the environment. These are very selective technologies and respectful of the biodiversity of the production system. These are today the requirements of the most demanding international markets, where in general integrated management is practiced with biological solutions as a base and to a lesser extent and in specific cases the use of pesticides.
How does Suterra deploy these technologies in the field?
The use of pheromones in agriculture is well known, but Suterra has been innovative in the way of placing pheromones in the field, through three mechanisms: Passive, Aerosol and Sprayable. In Chile, there is the passive diffuser Checkmate LB for the control of the grapevine moth; the aerosols Puffer LB and Puffer CM, for the control of the grapevine moth and codling moth; and also the sprayable products CheckMate CM-Flo, Checkmate OFM-Flo and Checkmate LB-Flo for the codling moth, oriental fruit moth and grapevine moth.
Suterra is constantly innovating in new pests, new geographies and new mechanisms of dissemination in the field. Today, products developed in the United States and Europe are used with climatic equivalence to the local market. My vision is to generate products in Chile and Latin America in the future, for some problems that only we have.
How did you reach the Latin American market?
In 2019, the company invested in Latin America and especially in our country through Suterra Biocontrol Chile, created in 2021. Chile is a high-tech agricultural market where our products can play a very important role due to our sustainable production philosophy. We thus became the only manufacturers of pheromones for agriculture with a direct presence in Chile. Our clients are the country's main vineyards and companies dedicated to exporting fruits, which work with very demanding markets on a global level.
What are the challenges for this year in the local market?
The company's bet in Chile for 2023 is the introduction of Celada LB, a new device for the control of Grapevine moth; promote the use of our sprayable CheckMate with different low-volume application technologies; and significantly grow the use of Puffer aerosol technology. Celada is an interesting innovation as it is a new passive diffusion system and requires only 200 units per hectare.
What does it mean for Suterra to belong to IMPPA AG?
Our products are well established and represented in the Chilean market through our distributors, but for Suterra it is also important that the agricultural industry and all its agents know our company, our agricultural origin and our constant commitment to innovation for the productive sustainability of the field. As world specialists in biocontrol and semiochemicals, we can contribute by providing the local environment with technical and regulatory knowledge that allows Chilean farmers to be at the forefront of these technologies. The latter is also the objective of IMPPA and it is important to work together as a trade association.
