OptiCept’s patented method of vacuum impregnation has been proven to extend the shelf life of unrooted cuttings, according to the company. The rooting ability is also improved. By extending the time frame, it can mean that the proportion of wastage can be reduced significantly, enabling large savings for growers. The handling (cutting process) could also change, as could the logistics.
Syngenta Flowers, with which OptiCept has entered a partnership, estimates the total market quantity of cuttings globally at approximately 2,000 million pieces, corresponding to a value of 192 MUSD. (This calculation excludes the largest markets such as coffee).
OptiBoost Installation in Guangxi
An OptiBoost for cuttings application will be installed in Guangxi, China to evaluate the treatment’s impact on improved rooting.
The evaluation will be done together with the Guangxi Academy of Forestry, the top state-owned technology center for forestry & planttech in Guangxi, with a prior focus on the camellia cuttings and eucalyptus cuttings.
The parties will establish a local PlantTech Lab & Engineering Center at Guangxi Academy of Forestry, and further join their efforts to accelerate the commercialization of OptiBoost for camellia cuttings, eucalyptus cuttings, and other local cuttings towards end-growers in Guangxi and the ASEAN market.
After the successful Evaluation, the Parties are to jointly complete at least one major project not less than 20 million cuttings for the first year; and strive to fulfill a commercial treatment volume of 200 million cuttings within three years.
Guangxi is the largest forestry market in China which contributes EUR 120 billion GDP every year. It is also the largest plantation area for eucalyptus, with a total plantation size of 30.34 million hectares that contributes 70% of the wood in 2021.
Great potential for Camelia with OptiBoost
Meanwhile, since most of Guangxi’s geographic area is mountains, the government made an ambitious plan to grow camellia oil trees, a Chinese local high-end food oil, to contribute more revenues for rural farmers.
The initial plan is to plant 200,000 hectares of camellia trees in 3 years. Guangxi Academy of Forestry has been working to solve the challenge of camellia cuttings and they find OptiBoost technology may contribute to the increased rootings and better survival. The parties also intend to explore the possibility to use OptiCept’s CEPT solution to extract more camellia oil.
”We’re glad to partner with OptiCept and bring the unique OptiBoost technology to Guangxi. Guangxi is the largest forestry market and I believe there is massive potential in the camellia oil, eucalyptus, and other cuttings. We’d look forward to our partnership with OptiCept and the commercial success in the near future.” says Mr. Lai, CEO of GSG.
“We have demonstrated the potential and value through our pilots in South America, now we see similar opportunities in China, which is a market with fantastic potential in this area. I have high hopes that this will be the start of several deals in China and Asia”, says Thomas Lundqvist, CEO, OptiCept Technologies.
For more information:
OptiBoost
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www.optiboost.se