LONDON (ShareCast) - (Sharecast News) - Biopesticide developer and supplier Eden Research announced on Wednesday that its commercial partner, Eastman Chemical Company, has received full authorisation for Eden's nematicide formulation, marketed as 'Cedroz' by Eastman, from the Belgian Ministry of Agriculture.
The AIM-traded firm described Cedroz as an "innovative and natural" solution designed to fight nematodes - a pest that is known to cause severe damage to crops globally for both open field and greenhouse growers, resulting in potential yield losses and increasing costs for farmers.

Belgium had authorised the use of Cedroz on a wide range of crops, including cucumbers, courgettes, melons, aubergine, peppers, tomatoes and strawberries.

While the market opportunities for Cedroz in Belgium were smaller than in other markets such as Italy and Spain, Eden Research noted it was the first full authorisation in the European Union following the initial authorisation of Cedroz by the Rapporteur Member State, Malta, earlier in the year.

It was also the first authorisation of any Eden-formulated product for use in greenhouse applications in Europe.

In line with consumer demand and a regulatory push for products that supported sustainable agriculture and zero pesticide residues, Cedroz was described as an "attractive alternative" for farmers looking to fight nematodes in an environmentally-friendly way, Eden Research claimed.

It said that unlike other products, Cedroz was residue-free and had a zero-day pre-harvest interval, allowing applications right up to harvest, if required.

"There are multiple, significant opportunities for the use of Cedroz in greenhouse applications which means that the authorisation in Belgium, where the primary use will be in greenhouses, is a very good starting point for authorisations to come in other EU Member States," said Eden Research chief executive officer Sean Smith.

"In addition, authorisations which are due to follow in other Member States will also include outdoor application where the market opportunities are potentially even greater."

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