ATGC Biotech & Luxembourg Industries JV

New Delhi, Dec 9 (PTI) Hyderabad-based pheromone and semiochemical-based crop protection firm ATGC Biotech and Israel-based Luxembourg Industries have set up a joint venture, Semiophore Ltd, with a cumulative investment of USD 10 million.

The 50:50 Indo-Israeli joint venture is fully financed by its partners, with cumulative investments of USD 10 million from Semiophore, Luxembourg Industries, and ATGC Biotech, towards infrastructure in India and Israel and regulatory registrations for 18 Indian-developed semiochemical and pheromone technologies across Israel, Brazil, Australia, and Africa.

Under the JV agreement, ATGC will contribute IP, technology, know-how, regulatory dossiers, capex and Research and Development leadership, while Luxembourg will invest in capex, regulatory, marketing and manufacturing costs, according to a statement.

"This is a defining moment for India's bioeconomy and for the global semiochemical industry. For the first time, Indian-developed semiochemical technologies will be manufactured and commercialized in Israel, marking a new chapter in Indo–Israeli scientific and industrial cooperation," Dr Markandeya Gorantla, Chairman and Managing Director, ATGC Biotech, said.

The JV ceremony was attended by global delegates from over 38 countries and marked a new chapter in Indo-Israeli collaboration on climate-smart agriculture.

"The Semiophore partnership brings together India's scientific strengths and Israel's agricultural expertise. We are delighted to deploy India's next-generation pheromone technologies across Israeli agriculture," Moshik Fish, CEO, Luxembourg Industries and Director, Semiophore Ltd, said.

Through this Indo–Israeli partnership, 18 advanced semiochemical technologies, including mating disruption, attract-and-kill, aggregation, and anti-aggregation systems, will be scaled to address a multi-billion-dollar global opportunity across crops such as grapes, apples, citrus, almonds, tomatoes, cotton, corn, cabbage, cauliflower, and avocados, ATGC Biotech said in a statement.

"This milestone showcases the strength of India's biotechnology ecosystem and demonstrates how long-term public investment in science can translate into globally deployable technologies," Rajesh S Gokhale, Secretary, Department of Biotechnology (DBT) said.

This collaboration establishes a new global category in sustainable, export-compliant, climate-resilient agriculture. It represents a decisive shift from chemical dependence to behaviour-based, biology-led crop protection, positioning India and Israel as leaders shaping the future of environmentally responsible farming worldwide.

"Israel and India share a strong partnership in agriculture and technology. Today's licensing exchange represents an important step toward expanding sustainable, environmentally safe crop protection. The establishment of Semiophore exemplifies the growing global relevance of Indo–Israeli innovation, and we congratulate both partners on this milestone," Fares Saeb, Deputy Ambassador of Israel to India, said.

The exchange of licensing agreements was held on Friday at the valedictory session of the First International Science and Technology (S&T) Clusters Conference here, the statement said.