ATGC Biotech, Israel's Luxembourg Industries form Semiophore crop-tech JV

ATGC Biotech, based in Genome Valley, Hyderabad, and Luxembourg Industries of Israel have established Semiophore, a 50:50 Indo–Israeli joint venture focused on global deployment of pheromone- and semiochemical-based crop protection technologies.

 

What is Semiophore and what will it do? 

The joint venture follows the exchange of licensing agreements at the valedictory session of the First International Science & Technology Clusters Conference in New Delhi. The event was attended by senior officials from the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser, representatives from Israel’s Embassy in India, and delegates from more than 38 countries.

 

How much will the JV invest and where will it expand? 

Semiophore will invest $10 million across India and Israel toward regulatory registrations, marketing and infrastructure. The JV plans to commercialise 18 semiochemical and pheromone technologies developed by ATGC Biotech in multiple international markets, including Israel, Brazil, Australia and countries in Africa.

 

Who contributes what under the agreement? 

According to the agreement, ATGC Biotech will provide intellectual property, technology, regulatory dossiers and R&D support, while Luxembourg Industries will invest in manufacturing, regulatory processes and market development. Initial commercial batches are planned for 2026, with capacity scale-up targeted for 2027, subject to regulatory approvals.

 

What crop protection applications will the JV target? 

The technologies covered under the JV include pheromone-based systems for mating disruption, attract-and-kill, aggregation and anti-aggregation applications across crops such as grapes, apples, citrus, cotton, corn, tomatoes and horticultural crops.

 

How does DBT support fit into ATGC’s technology base? 

Officials from the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Government of India, noted that several of ATGC’s pheromone platforms originated from DBT-supported programmes.

 

What do we know about ATGC Biotech and Luxembourg Industries? 

ATGC Biotech, founded in 2011, is engaged in the development and manufacturing of pheromone and semiochemical crop protection solutions and holds more than 26 patents. Luxembourg Industries is involved in agricultural inputs and related chemical technologies.