BIO applauds the legislation, which would provide a “clear pathway to the marketplace” for plant biostimulant products.
What are plant biostimulants? They’re substances or microorganisms that, when applied to seeds, plants, or the soil around the roots, enhance nutrient uptake and efficiency, tolerance to heat or drought, crop quality, and/or yield—like Joyn Bio's microbes. And make agriculture more sustainable, too.
The Plant Biostimulant Act, introduced Friday by U.S. Reps. Jimmy Panetta (D-CA) and Jim Baird (R-IN), “would create a uniform process for approving commercial plant biostimulant use and require more federal research on the technology’s benefits for soil health,” per the press release.
“This legislation will help give full federal recognition of plant biostimulants, and provide a clear pathway to the marketplace for the technology, which is an invaluable new category of agricultural inputs that will improve soil health, water quality, and the overall growth of plants,” said Sarah Gallo, BIO’s VP for Agriculture and Environment.
BIO’s long supported this technology—including in the 2018 Farm Bill, when BIO joined a coalition letter explaining the need for regulatory clarity.
BIO’s take: “Cutting-edge, innovative technologies such as plant biostimulant products will be critical to sustainably increasing food production to mitigate food price inflation and enhance agriculture’s resiliency to the stresses of climate change,” said BIO’s Sarah Gallo.
The context: A drought is now covering the western half of the U.S., including grain production areas of the upper Plains and Southwest—and food prices are rising worldwide. Now more than ever, we need technology like biostimulants to mitigate the impact of climate change and geopolitical challenges on the food supply.
More Agriculture and Environment News:
Bloomberg: Wheat soars in risk to food inflation as India restricts exports
“Benchmark futures rose as much as 5.9% to $12.47 1/2 a bushel in Chicago, the highest in two months. Prices have surged about 60% this year, increasing the cost of everything from bread to cakes and noodles.” (Read the Bio.News coverage of the heatwave in India.)
