Bee Vectoring Technologies begins multi-year trials in world's second largest blueberry production market

Bee Vectoring Technologies International Inc. (the "Company" or "BVT") today announced a new multi-year blueberry research trial with the Institute for Sustainable Horticulture (ISH) at Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU) in British Columbia (BC), Canada. The ISH is a leading partnership of academia with BC's horticultural industries and the community. ISH supports BC in meeting demands for a higher level of sustainability and environmental responsibility from horticulture, and urban landscapes.

Canada is the world's second largest producer and exporter of blueberries, after the United States. Canada exports over 50 million pounds of fresh cultivated blueberries valued at CAD$125 million, and over 65 million pounds of frozen blueberries valued at CAD$94 million.(1) And as one of Canada's main blueberry growing regions, BC is a key test region for BVT technology. 

This multi-year trial builds on the momentum that BVT has achieved in the US blueberry market with successful grower deals over the last growing season since EPA approval in 2019.

"British Columbia's climate, high disease pressures and agricultural practices align well with our technology," says Ashish Malik, CEO of Bee Vectoring Technologies. "The Institute for Sustainable Horticulture at KPU has an established relationship with the BC Blueberry Council. They are keen to investigate new, sustainable disease management tools, and are well suited to manage these trials as the lead research group."

Local growers will be tapped for trial locations which will help build awareness and early demand for the BVT system in BC. The trial will evaluate and quantify the efficacy of CR-7, BVT's biological fungicide, in combating fungal diseases in blueberry crops. 

The results of the trial will be submitted as part of the Company's application for Canadian registration, and will be used as scientific data to market the system to highbush blueberry growers.

"Blueberries are susceptible to a number of common fungal diseases that can wreak havoc on plant health, berry yield and shelf life from farm to plate, including Colletotrichum (anthracnose), Botrytis (gray mold) and Monilinia (mummy berry)," continued Mr. Malik. "The BVT system has been specifically engineered to target these fungal diseases, and we look forward to quantifying both disease control and crop yield improvements through multi-year season trials with the research group and participating growers."

(1) Source: 2016, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC), "What's New in British Columbia - Spotlight in Blueberries

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