Silvia Todorova, founding president of Anatis Bioprotection.
Posted at 10:00 a.m.
WHO
Originally from Bulgaria, she arrived in Montreal in 1990. “With $10 in her pocket! she recalls. I took a flight to Cuba. At that time, we were only allowed to travel to communist countries. There was a stopover in Montreal for refueling. I got off the plane without ever getting back on it. »
After a master’s and a doctorate in environmental sciences, she founded Anatis Bioprotection in 2005, which devotes its research and expertise to insects and fungi that help farmers who want to move away from chemical pesticides. .
The company has 32 employees on the job, notably on a farm in Saint-Jacques-le-Mineur, in Montérégie, purchased in 2008 “then in very poor condition”. Mites and “predatory” insects are raised there which, once released into the sweet corn fields, eliminate the “pest” insects that attack the crops.
THE PRODUCT
One of the species bred at Anatis is called the Trichogramma ostriniae. This tiny wasp is sent on a mission to fields and greenhouses to attack the corn borer, a crop pest butterfly; its larva feeds on the embryo of the moth.
“It’s a science that has been around for a very long time, we haven’t invented anything, agrees Silvia Todorova. But we have identified potential insect predators. I have always worked in biological control and wanted to link applied science to agricultural producers. These see the resistance of insects to chemicals. They have to find something more toxic every time. They are the first to ask for solutions. »
The microwasps are usually sent, in batches of 8,000, to farmers in small folded boxes. These are installed on the plants on the ground every 10 m of territory.
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PHOTO PROVIDED BY ANATIS BIOPROTECTION
Capsules with microwasps.
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PHOTO PROVIDED BY ANATIS BIOPROTECTION
Cardboard installed in the fields
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INNOVATION
At the beginning of the year, Anatis Bioprotection convinced farmers to distribute microwasps on their land in another way: by using drones. The company had this project in mind for almost five years. “Initially, when I contacted the producers to validate this solution, there was no interest on their part,” says Silvia Todorova. However, due to the evolution of technology, the environmental context, the labor shortage and the fact that this method is now used in Europe and Latin America, the tide has turned.
Anatis Bioprotection, in collaboration with Drone Des Champs, offers a turnkey service. Drone, handling and flight programming included! The company works in particular with Bonduelle and its farmers. This new way of proceeding does not cost more, according to Ms.me Todorova. “But to be profitable and competitive, you have to have land of at least 10 hectares. »
THE FUTURE
Anatis Bioprotection’s turnover doubles every year. “The proof that we are more and more aware, says Silvia Todorova. The market is favorable to us. It is also because the company has grown, that we have strengthened our marketing, hired representatives, approved our products in the United States, Africa and Central America in particular. »
And then, the company does not only operate with insects. Its researchers work with microfungi that destroy insects such as whiteflies and aphids. They are also busy refining a way for bees to leave their hive with a product placed in front of hatches that they could distribute to “pests” during pollination. “We don’t want to eliminate predators 100%, but lower their presence below a non-harmful threshold, to save crops,” explains Silvia Todorova. Each insect has its role in the chain. »