Gent, Belgium, 17 January 2024 - Aphea.Bio, a leading agricultural biotechnology company, is pleased to announce the appointment of Hartmut van Lengerich as Chairman of its newly formed Strategic Advisory Board. With over 30 years of experience in global strategic and operational roles, Hartmut brings a wealth of expertise and knowledge to Aphea.Bio.

Hartmut van Lengerich is a highly accomplished agricultural economist and industry leader. He has held various key positions throughout his career, including serving as Bayer Crop Science's CEO for Canada, Global Head of Cereals, Head of Fungicides, and, most recently, as SVP for Portfolio and Asset Management for the Crop Protection Portfolio of Bayer AG, where he oversaw $13 billion in worldwide sales. His career has been driven by a commitment to identifying and addressing growers' real problems through science, along with a belief in the power of collaboration and industry partnerships to drive positive change in global agriculture.

As Chairman of Aphea.Bio's Strategic Advisory Board, Hartmut will provide invaluable strategic guidance and insights to the company's leadership team. His deep understanding of the industry, coupled with his global experience, will contribute significantly to Aphea.Bio's growth and success in developing sustainable agricultural solutions.

Commenting on the appointment, Isabel Vercauteren, CEO at Aphea.Bio, stated, "We are thrilled to have Hartmut van Lengerich as the Chairman of our Strategic Advisory Board. His exceptional track record and expertise in the agricultural industry will be instrumental in guiding Aphea.Bio's strategic direction and ensuring our continued innovation in sustainable agriculture. We look forward to working closely with Hartmut and benefiting from his strategic insights."

Hartmut van Lengerich, a German national, is currently a senior adviser to Boston Consulting Group, further contributing to the advancement of the agricultural sector. His appointment as Chairman of Aphea.Bio's Strategic Advisory Board reinforces the company's commitment to leveraging top-notch expertise in revolutionizing sustainable agriculture.

"It is an honor to be appointed as Chairman of Aphea.Bio's Strategic Advisory Board. This is an exciting time for the agricultural industry, with a growing need for sustainable solutions. Aphea.Bio's commitment to developing innovative biological solutions aligns perfectly with my own vision for the future of farming," said Hartmut van Lengerich. " The approach of Aphea.Bio towards innovation is in my view unique and will provide value to growers in supporting crop production systems in a more sustainable way. This is demanded from growers, channel-partners, regulators, the food chain, consumers and society. I am eager to work alongside Aphea.Bio's dynamic team and contribute to the development of groundbreaking technologies that will shape the future of agriculture."

Aphea.Bio's Strategic Advisory Board comprises esteemed individuals from diverse backgrounds, collectively driving the company's strategic roadmap and innovation agenda. Together, they will propel Aphea.Bio forward in achieving its goal of revolutionizing sustainable agriculture worldwide.

About Aphea.Bio

Aphea.Bio is a fully integrated microbial product development company dedicated to food security and ensuring a safe and healthy food chain and is providing novel, science-based solutions to build the agriculture of the future: sustainable, reliable, and profitable. Located in Gent, Belgium, we have a highly dedicated and qualified team of scientist and industry experts. Based on our unique high throughput APEX® R&D platform utilising the untapped microbial space, we have been able to build a broad biostimulant and biocontrol pipeline based on naturally occurring micro-organisms.

We believe that with a fresh and sincere spirit of innovation, result-driven science, and the courage to go off the beaten track, there is fertile ground to develop efficacious biological solutions to help complement or partially replace products in the major chemical indications. To learn more, visit www.aphea.bio or follow us on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/aphea-bio.

Aphea Bio
Charlotte Klank
Head of Regulatory Affairs | Communications
[email protected]

Data protection is important to us. You are receiving this publication on the legal basis of Article 6 para 1 lit. f GDPR ("legitimate interest"). However, if you do not wish to receive further information about Aphea.Bio, just send us a brief informal message and we will no longer process your details for this purpose. You can also find further details in our privacy statement.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This document may contain forward-looking statements, which can be identified by terminology such as 'expect', 'would', 'will', 'potential', 'plans', 'prospects', 'estimated', 'aiming', 'on track' and similar expressions. Such statements may be subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause the actual results to differ materially from these statements. For Aphea.Bio, such risks and uncertainties include risks relating to legal proceedings, regulatory approvals, new product development, increasing competition, customer credit risk, general economic and market conditions, compliance and remediation, intellectual property rights, implementation of organizational changes, impairment of intangible assets, consumer perceptions of genetically modified crops and organisms or crop protection chemicals, climatic variations, fluctuations in exchange rates and/or commodity prices, single source supply arrangements, political uncertainty, natural disasters, and breaches of data security or other disruptions of information technology. Aphea.Bio assumes no obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect actual results, changed assumptions or other factors.

© Aphea.Bio, Technologiepark Zwijnaarde 21, 9052 Zwijnaarde.

Gent, Belgium, 10 January 2024 - Aphea.Bio, a Belgium-based agricultural technology company, announced today the appointment of Hadyn Parry to its board as the new chairman.

Hadyn Parry brings a wealth of experience and expertise to Aphea.Bio, having served in several leadership roles throughout his career in the biotechnology sector. Most notably, Mr. Parry is renowned for his role as CEO of biotech firm Oxitec, where he played a pivotal role in developing revolutionary insect control solutions in both agriculture and public health. His strategic vision and operational insights have proven instrumental in achieving remarkable business success.

Johan De Saegher, outgoing Chairman of the Board, expressed his confidence in Hadyn Parry's ability to lead Aphea.Bio into its next phase of growth. "I am thrilled to hand over the reins to Hadyn, whose extensive knowledge and proven track record in the biotech industry make him an ideal candidate for this role. I have no doubt that under his leadership, Aphea.Bio will continue to revolutionize agriculture, challenge conventional practices, and deliver impactful solutions."

In his new role as Chairman of the Board of Directors, Hadyn Parry will provide strategic guidance and leadership to Aphea.Bio, ensuring the company continues to drive innovation, expand its product portfolio, and enhance its market presence. Mr. Parry's deep understanding of the agritech landscape and his commitment to sustainable agricultural practices align perfectly with Aphea.Bio's mission to develop environmentally friendly solutions for the benefit of farmers and the planet.

Hadyn Parry also expressed his excitement about working with Aphea.Bio's exceptional team. "I am honoured to join Aphea.Bio as Chairman and work alongside this talented group of scientists, researchers, and industry professionals. Aphea.Bio's unique approach is based on groundbreaking in-depth research, proprietary technology and an exemplary development pathway. I have no doubt it will play a huge part in managing the transition to sustainable agriculture. I look forward to contributing to the company's ongoing success and helping shape the future of biological crop protection."

Isabel Vercauteren, CEO at Aphea.Bio: "We are thrilled to welcome Hadyn Parry as the new Chairman of the Board of Directors. Hadyn's extensive experience and expertise in the biotech industry make him an exceptional addition to our leadership team. His strategic vision and deep understanding of sustainable agriculture align perfectly with our mission to develop innovative biological solutions for the benefit of farmers and the environment."

"I would also like to express my gratitude to Johan De Saegher for his outstanding leadership as the outgoing Chairman", Isabel said. "Under his guidance, Aphea.Bio has achieved significant milestones and established itself as a key player in the agricultural technology sector. Johan will continue to work together with Aphea.Bio being part of the Strategic Advisory Board, bringing a wealth of knowledge and experience that will continue to shape the company's strategic direction and future success."

"With Hadyn Parry's appointment, Aphea.Bio enters an exciting phase of scale-up and commercial growth. I believe that his leadership will further propel the company's mission to transform farming practices and make a positive impact on global food production. I look forward to working closely with Hadyn and the entire team as we continue to advance our pioneering bio-based solutions and contribute to a sustainable and resilient agricultural system."

About Aphea.Bio

Aphea.Bio is a fully integrated microbial product development company dedicated to food security and ensuring a safe and healthy food chain and is providing novel, science-based solutions to build the agriculture of the future: sustainable, reliable, and profitable. Located in Gent, Belgium, we have a highly dedicated and qualified team of scientist and industry experts. Based on our unique high throughput APEX® R&D platform utilising the untapped microbial space, we have been able to build a broad biostimulant and biocontrol pipeline based on naturally occurring micro-organisms.

We believe that with a fresh and sincere spirit of innovation, result-driven science, and the courage to go off the beaten track, there is fertile ground to develop efficacious biological solutions to help complement or partially replace products in the major chemical indications. To learn more, visit www.aphea.bio or follow us on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/aphea-bio.

Aphea Bio
Charlotte Klank
Head of Regulatory Affairs | Communications
[email protected]

Data protection is important to us. You are receiving this publication on the legal basis of Article 6 para 1 lit. f GDPR ("legitimate interest"). However, if you do not wish to receive further information about Aphea.Bio, just send us a brief informal message and we will no longer process your details for this purpose. You can also find further details in our privacy statement.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This document may contain forward-looking statements, which can be identified by terminology such as 'expect', 'would', 'will', 'potential', 'plans', 'prospects', 'estimated', 'aiming', 'on track' and similar expressions. Such statements may be subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause the actual results to differ materially from these statements. For Aphea.Bio, such risks and uncertainties include risks relating to legal proceedings, regulatory approvals, new product development, increasing competition, customer credit risk, general economic and market conditions, compliance and remediation, intellectual property rights, implementation of organizational changes, impairment of intangible assets, consumer perceptions of genetically modified crops and organisms or crop protection chemicals, climatic variations, fluctuations in exchange rates and/or commodity prices, single source supply arrangements, political uncertainty, natural disasters, and breaches of data security or other disruptions of information technology. Aphea.Bio assumes no obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect actual results, changed assumptions or other factors.

© Aphea.Bio, Technologiepark Zwijnaarde 21, 9052 Zwijnaarde.

New funding will support the rapid growth of Aphea.Bio, solidifying its position as a frontrunner in biological product development for agriculture.

Gent, Belgium, 11 July 2023 - Aphea.Bio, a Belgium-based agricultural technology company, announced today the successful closing of its Series C Funding round, securing € 70 million. The round was led by Innovation Industries, joined by Korys Investments and supported by Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, SFPIM, BNP Paribas Fortis and received strong support from returning investors ECBF, Astanor, AIF as well as other existing shareholders

The funding will allow Aphea.Bio to further advance research and development in biologicals, scale product launches, expand market reach and commercialise product offerings. The Company's partnership with the Gates Foundation will support the development of biostimulant products designed to address the unique needs of smallholder farmers in the foundation's priority geographies in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.

Caaj Greebe, Partner at lead investor Innovation Industries states, "Aphea.Bio possesses several qualities that we actively seek in a company: a world-class team, strong scientific foundations, and promising products that can effectively tackle the significant challenges faced in modern agricultural practices. We are thrilled to have led this financing round alongside an exceptional group of investors to support Aphea.Bio in its next phase of growth towards a global commercial organisation."

David Devigne, Investment Director at Korys Investments states, "We are delighted to support Aphea.Bio in driving the biological revolution in agriculture. Aphea.Bio's ultimate goal of addressing the ever-increasing challenge of supplying the growing world population with sufficient and healthy food while using less land and pesticides fully aligns with Korys' investment philosophy."

Isabel Vercauteren, CEO of Aphea.Bio says: "We are excited to have secured Series C Funding, which not only validates our mission to enable sustainable, profitable, and reliable farming, but also propels us toward commercialisation. This investment will allow us to broaden our operations and bring our products to market at a larger scale, so we can address urgent agricultural challenges and meet the needs of farmers worldwide, while at the same time ensuring accessibility and affordability for smallholder farmers in low-income countries."

This new round of funding comes at a time of remarkable growth for Aphea.Bio. The company has grown into a diverse and talented team of over 50 scientists and industry specialists, and is further expanding its research facilities, with a new pilot plant set to open later this year. Moreover, Aphea.Bio is now a Certified B Corporation™, recognised for demonstrating high social and environmental impact standards.

In addition to these milestones, Aphea.Bio has also made significant strides in its product portfolio. The recent successful launch of ΛCTIV by Aphea.Bio®, a novel biostimulant seed treatment, marked the company's first entry into the market. Looking ahead, Aphea.Bio is now actively preparing the launch of its first maize biostimulant in 2024 and is planning to submit its first biofungicide for regulatory approval in the United States and Europe in Q1 and Q3 of next year, respectively.

Aphea.Bio's recent achievements, coupled with the successful Series C Funding, solidify the company's position as a key player in achieving a safe and healthy food chain through sustainable agriculture.

About Aphea.Bio

Aphea.Bio is a fully integrated microbial product development company dedicated to food security and ensuring a safe and healthy food chain and is providing novel, science-based solutions to build the agriculture of the future: sustainable, reliable, and profitable. Located in Gent, Belgium, we have a highly dedicated and qualified team of scientist and industry experts. Based on our unique high throughput APEX® R&D platform utilising the untapped microbial space, we have been able to build a broad biostimulant and biocontrol pipeline based on naturally occurring micro-organisms.

We believe that with a fresh and sincere spirit of innovation, result-driven science, and the courage to go off the beaten track, there is fertile ground to develop efficacious biological solutions to help complement or partially replace products in the major chemical indications. To learn more, visit www.aphea.bio or follow us on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/aphea-bio.

Aphea Bio
Charlotte Klank
Head of Regulatory Affairs | Communications
[email protected]

Data protection is important to us. You are receiving this publication on the legal basis of Article 6 para 1 lit. f GDPR ("legitimate interest"). However, if you do not wish to receive further information about Aphea.Bio, just send us a brief informal message and we will no longer process your details for this purpose. You can also find further details in our privacy statement.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This document may contain forward-looking statements, which can be identified by terminology such as 'expect', 'would', 'will', 'potential', 'plans', 'prospects', 'estimated', 'aiming', 'on track' and similar expressions. Such statements may be subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause the actual results to differ materially from these statements. For Aphea.Bio, such risks and uncertainties include risks relating to legal proceedings, regulatory approvals, new product development, increasing competition, customer credit risk, general economic and market conditions, compliance and remediation, intellectual property rights, implementation of organizational changes, impairment of intangible assets, consumer perceptions of genetically modified crops and organisms or crop protection chemicals, climatic variations, fluctuations in exchange rates and/or commodity prices, single source supply arrangements, political uncertainty, natural disasters, and breaches of data security or other disruptions of information technology. Aphea.Bio assumes no obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect actual results, changed assumptions or other factors.

© Aphea.Bio, Technologiepark Zwijnaarde 21, 9052 Zwijnaarde.

Aphea.Bio joins a global community committed to using business as a "force for good".

Gent, Belgium, 20 June 2023 - Aphea.Bio, a leading agricultural technology company, is proud to announce it is now a Certified B Corporation (B Corp). The prestigious certification reflects Aphea.Bio's commitment to meet high social and environmental impact, accountability, and transparency.

To become a Certified B Corporation, businesses undergo a rigorous and extensive assessment to evaluate their impact on their workers, customers, communities, governance, and the environment.

Aphea.Bio has achieved an outstanding score of 94.5, well above the minimum verified score of 80 required for certification.

"We're on a mission to deliver novel, science-based solutions that contribute to a sustainable, equitable and reliable agriculture. Our B Corp Certification reflects our commitment to achieving this goal in the most sustainable and responsible manner, always remaining accountable to people and the planet. We are incredibly honoured to join a global community of like-minded organizations that, like us, believe in conducting business as a force for good," said Inge Van Daele, Portfolio and ESG Manager at Aphea.Bio.

"Making a positive impact on today's agriculture is high on our agenda," said Isabel Vercauteren, CEO at Aphea.Bio. Supported by our shareholders we are working towards a more sustainable planet and the B Corp Certification is a great recognition of our efforts.

"As an impact investor, it is core to our value-add to support our companies through their ESG and impact journey. In our view, B Corp certification provides a rigorous framework to assess sustainability and also serves as a powerful guide to continuously integrate solid internal and external sustainable practices. We are glad to see Aphea.Bio reaching that milestone showcasing their commitment to both business success and positive impact, exemplifying their dedication to sustainability and social responsibility." Said Leslie Kapin, Impact and Sustainability Director at Astanor Ventures.

"Before investing in spring 2021, we conducted a thorough ESG due diligence on Aphea.Bio, which we completed with excellent results. Ever since, our initial positive impression has been confirmed in day-to-day business. Aphea.Bio can easily meet the strongly increasing regulatory sustainability requirements due to its focus on sustainability. Therefore, we are delighted to be able to confirm the positive outcome of B Lab's assessment." Said Cornelia Frentz, ESG Manager, European Circular Bioeconomy Fund (ECBF).

Aphea.Bio proudly joins more than 6,900 companies across 90 countries committed to creating value for all stakeholders. The company is more than ever determined to live up to its ambition to deliver cutting-edge biological solutions that help farmers feed growing populations in a safe, healthy, and sustainable manner.

About Aphea.Bio

Aphea.Bio was founded by Isabel Vercauteren (now CEO of Aphea.Bio) and Steven Vandenabeele (now CTO of Aphea.Bio) on 5 December 2016 as a spin-off of the VIB (Flemish Institute for Biotechnology) and its partner universities Ghent University and KU Leuven, and is dedicated to food security and ensuring a safe and healthy food chain. We aim to provide novel, science-based solutions to build the agriculture of the future: sustainable, reliable and profitable. Located in Gent, Belgium, we have a highly dedicated and qualified team of scientist and industry experts. Based on our unique high throughput R&D platform utilizing the untapped microbial space, we have been able to build a broad biostimulant and biocontrol pipeline based on naturally occurring micro-organisms.

We believe that with a fresh and sincere spirit of innovation, result-driven science, and the courage to go off the beaten track, there is fertile ground to develop efficacious biological solutions to help complement or partially replace products in the major chemical indications. To learn more, visit www.aphea.bio or follow us on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/aphea-bio.

Aphea Bio
Charlotte Klank
Head of Regulatory Affairs | Communications
[email protected]

Data protection is important to us. You are receiving this publication on the legal basis of Article 6 para 1 lit. f GDPR ("legitimate interest"). However, if you do not wish to receive further information about Aphea.Bio, just send us a brief informal message and we will no longer process your details for this purpose. You can also find further details in our privacy statement.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This document may contain forward-looking statements, which can be identified by terminology such as 'expect', 'would', 'will', 'potential', 'plans', 'prospects', 'estimated', 'aiming', 'on track' and similar expressions. Such statements may be subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause the actual results to differ materially from these statements. For Aphea.Bio, such risks and uncertainties include risks relating to legal proceedings, regulatory approvals, new product development, increasing competition, customer credit risk, general economic and market conditions, compliance and remediation, intellectual property rights, implementation of organizational changes, impairment of intangible assets, consumer perceptions of genetically modified crops and organisms or crop protection chemicals, climatic variations, fluctuations in exchange rates and/or commodity prices, single source supply arrangements, political uncertainty, natural disasters, and breaches of data security or other disruptions of information technology. Aphea.Bio assumes no obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect actual results, changed assumptions or other factors.

© Aphea.Bio, Technologiepark Zwijnaarde 21, 9052 Zwijnaarde.

The novel biostimulant wheat seed treatment will allow wheat farmers in Poland to increase yield while reducing fertiliser input.

Gent, Belgium, 12 June 2023 - Aphea.Bio is proud to announce that the company's first commercial product, the innovative biostimulant ΛCTIV by Aphea.Bio® is being launched in Poland! To mark this milestone, Syngenta Polska hosted an exclusive launch event on the 5th of June 2023 to introduce the new biostimulant to a diverse range of stakeholders including industry experts, farmers, and key influencers.

During the event, representatives from Syngenta Polska highlighted the ground-breaking potential of ΛCTIV by Aphea.Bio®, which offers Polish farmers a sustainable and economically viable solution to boost wheat yield and minimise the use of traditional fertilisers.

Regulatory approvals are currently being finalised and the first deliveries of ΛCTIV by Aphea.Bio® are scheduled for August/September 2023, nicely in time for this year's winter wheat season. Market introductions in additional countries are currently in preparation for 2024, further broadening the availability of innovative & sustainable solutions to farmers in Europe.

Isabel Vercauteren, CEO, and co-founder of Aphea.Bio: "By putting ΛCTIV by Aphea.Bio® in the hands of Polish farmers, we are proud to see our ambition to create a more profitable and sustainable future for European growers become reality. This milestone signifies the tangible progress we have made in bringing transformative impact to European agriculture in partnership with Syngenta Crop Protection. We are excited for what's on the horizon"

ΛCTIV by Aphea.Bio® is a biostimulant applied as a seed treatment on wheat. Based on beneficial micro-organisms, the biostimulant improves nutrient uptake of crops and increases yields by as much as five percent, even with reduced fertiliser use.

The official launch of ΛCTIV by Aphea.Bio® into the European market shows a significant leap in the shared journey of Aphea.Bio and Syngenta Crop Protection to bring powerful seed treatments to European farmers that will enhance the sustainability, reliability, and profitability of their farming operations.

About ΛCTIV by Aphea.Bio®:

ΛCTIV by Aphea.Bio® is an innovative and safe biostimulant containing a proprietary bacterial strain of the species Stenotrophomonas rhizophila, which through several modes of action contributes to better growth of wheat plants treated with the product. The strain possesses multiple characteristics involved in adhesion, biofilm production, motility, chemotaxis, uptake and transport of nutrients from the plant, enabling it to successfully colonize the root endosphere. Furthermore, the strain has the potential for inorganic P solubilization and the production of siderophores to enhance the plant update of iron through chelation.

About Aphea.Bio

Aphea.Bio was founded by Isabel Vercauteren (now CEO of Aphea.Bio) and Steven Vandenabeele (now CTO of Aphea.Bio) on 5 December 2016 as a spin-off of the VIB (Flemish Institute for Biotechnology) and its partner universities Ghent University and KU Leuven, and is dedicated to food security and ensuring a safe and healthy food chain. We aim to provide novel, science-based solutions to build the agriculture of the future: sustainable, reliable and profitable. Located in Gent, Belgium, we have a highly dedicated and qualified team of scientist and industry experts. Based on our unique high throughput R&D platform utilizing the untapped microbial space, we have been able to build a broad biostimulant and biocontrol pipeline based on naturally occurring micro-organisms.

We believe that with a fresh and sincere spirit of innovation, result-driven science, and the courage to go off the beaten track, there is fertile ground to develop efficacious biological solutions to help complement or partially replace products in the major chemical indications. To learn more, visit www.aphea.bio or follow us on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/aphea-bio.

Contact Information
Syngenta Crop Protection
Michelle Ng
Global Head, External Communications
[email protected]

Aphea Bio
Charlotte Klank
Head of Regulatory Affairs | Communications
[email protected]

Data protection is important to us. You are receiving this publication on the legal basis of Article 6 para 1 lit. f GDPR ("legitimate interest"). However, if you do not wish to receive further information about Aphea.Bio, just send us a brief informal message and we will no longer process your details for this purpose. You can also find further details in our privacy statement.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This document may contain forward-looking statements, which can be identified by terminology such as 'expect', 'would', 'will', 'potential', 'plans', 'prospects', 'estimated', 'aiming', 'on track' and similar expressions. Such statements may be subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause the actual results to differ materially from these statements. For Aphea.Bio, such risks and uncertainties include risks relating to legal proceedings, regulatory approvals, new product development, increasing competition, customer credit risk, general economic and market conditions, compliance and remediation, intellectual property rights, implementation of organizational changes, impairment of intangible assets, consumer perceptions of genetically modified crops and organisms or crop protection chemicals, climatic variations, fluctuations in exchange rates and/or commodity prices, single source supply arrangements, political uncertainty, natural disasters, and breaches of data security or other disruptions of information technology. Aphea.Bio assumes no obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect actual results, changed assumptions or other factors.

© Aphea.Bio, Technologiepark Zwijnaarde 21, 9052 Zwijnaarde.

Syngenta Crop Protection partners with Aphea.Bio to bring novel agricultural technology to markets across Europe

Basel, Switzerland/Gent, Belgium, March 1, 2023 - Wheat farmers seeking to increase yields while reducing fertilizer inputs are set to benefit from a new collaboration between Syngenta Crop Protection and Aphea.Bio announced today.

The collaboration aims to accelerate the introduction of a novel biological seed treatment solution across multiple countries in Europe over the next five years, pending regulatory approval. This places a much-needed technology in the hands of farmers seeking to improve the sustainability of their farming operations, and to address challenges arising from an increasingly constrained toolbox of available agricultural technologies as well as evolving consumer demands.

ΛCTIV by Aphea.Bio® is a biostimulant applied as a seed treatment on wheat that is based on beneficial microorganisms. By improving the crop's nutrient use efficiency, it enables as much as five percent higher yields even with reduced fertilizer use.

"We are excited to announce this collaboration with Aphea.Bio, which supports our important ambition of helping feed ever growing populations in more sustainable ways," said Jonathan Brown, Head of Global Seedcare at Syngenta Crop Protection. "It demonstrates our commitment to bringing novel, nutrient use efficiency solutions to growers, helping safeguard yields if nitrogen inputs are reduced. Combined with our leading conventional seed treatment portfolio, ΛCTIV by Aphea.Bio® will offer a unique value proposition in a fast-changing EU landscape."

Isabel Vercauteren, CEO and co-founder of Aphea.Bio, said: "We are excited to launch our first wheat biostimulant in partnership with Syngenta. We are joining forces to build a more sustainable and profitable future for European farmers. And this is just the beginning."

An introduction of ΛCTIV by Aphea.Bio® will represent an additional building block in the strategy to achieving healthy soils by supporting crops through beneficial microorganisms. It furthermore has the potential to contribute to the goal of the European Union's Green Deal to reduce the use of synthetic fertilizers inputs.

About ΛCTIV by Aphea.Bio®:

ΛCTIV by Aphea.Bio® is an innovative and safe biostimulant containing a proprietary bacterial strain of the species Stenotrophomonas rhizophila, which through several modes of action contributes to better growth of wheat plants treated with the product. The strain possesses multiple characteristics involved in adhesion, biofilm production, motility, chemotaxis, uptake and transport of nutrients from the plant, enabling it to successfully colonize the root endosphere. Furthermore, the strain has the potential for inorganic P solubilization and the production of siderophores to enhance the plant update of iron through chelation.

About Syngenta

Syngenta is one of the world's leading agriculture companies, comprised of Syngenta Crop Protection and Syngenta Seeds. Our ambition is to help safely feed the world while taking care of the planet. We aim to improve the sustainability, quality and safety of agriculture with world class science and innovative crop solutions. Our technologies enable millions of farmers around the world to make better use of limited agricultural resources. Syngenta Crop Protection and Syngenta Seeds are part of Syngenta Group. In more than 100 countries we are working to transform how crops are grown. Through partnerships, collaboration and The Good Growth Plan we are committed to accelerating innovation for farmers and nature, striving for regenerative agriculture, helping people stay safe and healthy and partnering for impact. To learn more visit www.syngenta.com and www.goodgrowthplan.com.

Follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/Syngenta, www.twitter.com/SyngentaUS and on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/syngenta

About Aphea.Bio

Aphea.Bio was founded by Isabel Vercauteren (now CEO of Aphea.Bio) and Steven Vandenabeele (now CTO of Aphea.Bio) on 5 December 2016 as a spin-off of the VIB (Flemish Institute for Biotechnology) and its partner universities Ghent University and KU Leuven, and is dedicated to food security and ensuring a safe and healthy food chain. We aim to provide novel, science-based solutions to build the agriculture of the future: sustainable, reliable and profitable. Located in Gent, Belgium, we have a highly dedicated and qualified team of scientist and industry experts. Based on our unique high throughput R&D platform utilizing the untapped microbial space, we have been able to build a broad biostimulant and biocontrol pipeline based on naturally occurring micro-organisms.

We believe that with a fresh and sincere spirit of innovation, result-driven science, and the courage to go off the beaten track, there is fertile ground to develop efficacious biological solutions to help complement or partially replace products in the major chemical indications. To learn more, visit www.aphea.bio or follow us on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/aphea-bio.

Contact Information
Syngenta Crop Protection
Michelle Ng
Global Head, External Communications
[email protected]

Aphea Bio
Charlotte Klank
Head of Regulatory Affairs | Communications
[email protected]

Data protection is important to us. You are receiving this publication on the legal basis of Article 6 para 1 lit. f GDPR ("legitimate interest"). However, if you do not wish to receive further information about Aphea.Bio, just send us a brief informal message and we will no longer process your details for this purpose. You can also find further details in our privacy statement.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This document may contain forward-looking statements, which can be identified by terminology such as 'expect', 'would', 'will', 'potential', 'plans', 'prospects', 'estimated', 'aiming', 'on track' and similar expressions. Such statements may be subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause the actual results to differ materially from these statements. For Aphea.Bio, such risks and uncertainties include risks relating to legal proceedings, regulatory approvals, new product development, increasing competition, customer credit risk, general economic and market conditions, compliance and remediation, intellectual property rights, implementation of organizational changes, impairment of intangible assets, consumer perceptions of genetically modified crops and organisms or crop protection chemicals, climatic variations, fluctuations in exchange rates and/or commodity prices, single source supply arrangements, political uncertainty, natural disasters, and breaches of data security or other disruptions of information technology. Aphea.Bio assumes no obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect actual results, changed assumptions or other factors.

© Aphea.Bio, Technologiepark Zwijnaarde 21, 9052 Zwijnaarde.