Key Takeaways:
- Pangaea Biosciences signed a Heads of Agreement with Chongqing Shining Fine Chemicals at the CAC exhibition in China.
- Shining will act as Pangaea’s master distributor in China, with local distributors handling product rollout.
- Initial order for Booster™ placed for test marketing, with full product launch expected in Q2 2025.
- Field trials in China show promising results against resistant pests such as thrips and red spider mite.
- The agreement marks Pangaea Biosciences’ expanded presence in Asia amid growing demand for resistance management tools.
Pangaea Biosciences Formalizes Strategic Entry into Chinese Crop Protection Market
At the recent China International Agrochemical & Crop Protection Exhibition (CAC), Pangaea Biosciences and Chongqing Shining Fine Chemicals Co. signed a Heads of Agreement appointing Shining as the master distributor of Pangaea’s crop protection portfolio in China. The signing, attended by Pangaea’s Founder and CEO Nick Gooch and Shining’s Managing Director Taylor Liu, represents a significant commercial step for both organizations in one of the world’s largest agricultural markets.
Under the agreement, Shining will manage distribution of Pangaea’s products to a network of regional distributors across China. The arrangement is expected to support a broader rollout of the company’s resistance-focused crop protection tools, starting with test marketing of its flagship product, Booster™.
Field Trials and Market Potential in China
According to Pangaea, initial trials of Booster™ and its complementary product Tardis™ are already underway with Chinese distribution partners. These trials have focused on resistance-prone pests including thrips, red spider mite, and diamondback moth, with early results described as highly encouraging by the company.
“The results so far are even better than we have expected in this enormous insecticide-driven market,” said Nick Gooch.
Pangaea confirmed that China’s largest insecticide distributor has begun product trials in an area more than twice the cropping area of the United Kingdom. Additional trials are ongoing with other major Chinese distributors and in various countries across Asia.
Product Features of Pangaea: Booster™ and Tardis™ Target Resistance Challenges
Booster™ is designed to mitigate resistance by targeting the cytochrome P450 metabolic pathway responsible for degrading crop protection chemicals in pests, weeds, and pathogens. According to Roger Pinder, Global Business Development Consultant at Pangaea, this pathway is a major factor behind declining efficacy of older agrochemicals.
Booster™’s ability to deactivate this resistance mechanism extends the life and effectiveness of existing chemistries, reducing reliance on the costly development of new active ingredients.
Pangaea has also launched Tardis™, a patented delivery system that enhances the effect of Booster™ by delaying the release of the pesticide in tank mixes. This allows Booster™ to act first on resistant organisms, improving control outcomes when used with conventional crop protection products.
Looking Ahead to Full Launch in China
Pangaea and Shining anticipate a full commercial launch of Booster™ and Tardis™ in China during the second quarter of 2025. The companies are working closely to navigate regulatory processes and support technical evaluations among Chinese growers.
“Resistance is a major problem globally. Consequently, it is a significant threat to global food security,” said Gooch. “The ability to bring back a range of chemistries which have all started to fail in the market through resistance problems has enormous appeal to farmers all over the world.”
As part of its broader strategy, Pangaea Biosciences continues to explore additional opportunities across Asia, where resistance management remains a key concern for agricultural producers.
