Periodic Reporting for period 1 - Soil Resetting (Innovative biobased Soil Resetting system for European Horticulture)
Período documentado: 2017-05-01 hasta 2017-08-31
SOIL RESETTING will allow our company -Thatchtec- to successfully introduce our biological solution for soil disinfestation in the Mediterranean agricultural market. SOIL RESETTING answers to the need of more effective methods to fight against soil-borne diseases (i.e. fungi, nematodes, bacteria, insects), one of the main causes of economic losses in the agricultural business. Only nematodes have been calculated to take away 10% of the World’s global agricultural output. Our solution consists on the application of bio-based products in combination of the covering of the soil to create anaerobic conditions. It has been already proven to be 100% effective in North and Central European conditions. Our target is to reach the Mediterranean market in 2020, providing farmers with a solution based on lower dosages (7-10tn/ha) and improved application method, and still 100% effective.
We analysed the technical viability of SOIL RESETTING for its success in the target markets. We selected several alternative raw materials for the future local manufacturing of Herbie®, described the technical test and upscale process needed for the demonstration of our technology under the new conditions. This is reflected in the Phase 2 Work Plan overview, together with a preliminary budget and the identification of key stakeholders. To assure the economic viability, we studied 5 different business models, to finally decide on the combination of direct sales in the short-term, to consolidate the market, with licensing the production, distribution and application in the medium term, to reduce costs. SOIL RESETTING’s freedom to operate has been studied, finding that our novelty is not yet protected by any patent besides ours. All the achievements have been integrated to create a solid business plan for SOIL RESETTING in the Mediterranean region.
The impact of SOIL RESETTING will reach all stakeholders from the agricultural agribusiness, from producers, to service providers and distributors, and even to consumers. Mainly growers will have access to an effective biological method for soil disinfestation, able to work from the first application with 100% efficiency and cost-effective. For Thatchtec, SOIL RESETTING will generate up to €35.9M cumulative revenues after 5 years of commercialization, with a market penetration of 26,000 ha in the targeted countries. This project will generate 26 direct jobs within our company and 49 indirect jobs. The expected ROI will be 2.34 in the fifth year.