Virginia-based agricultural biotechnology company AgroSpheres, Inc. announced the opening of its first commercial biomanufacturing facility in Charlottesville.
The company expects the site to develop and produce biological crop protection solutions that replace chemicals and microplastics on U.S. farms and soil. It added that the plant would decrease dependence on foreign chemical ingredients and address a shortage of premium commercial fermentation facilities in the U.S.
“From produce farms across the country to premium vineyards in Napa Valley, where our first product is already in use for wine, famers now have powerful, natural and domestic options,” AgroSpheres Founder and CEO Payam Pourtaheri said. “Instead of looking overseas for synthetic ingredients or biomanufacturing, we are onshoring the production of American-made biological crop protection right here in Virginia.”
AgroSpheres stated that its 12,500-square-foot facility will treat hundreds of thousands of acres annually, with plans to expand capacity to millions. The current production capacity includes a metric ton of AgriCell-based formulations and tens of thousands of gallons of FUN-THYME, AgroSpheres’ first commercialized product…