Bachar Blal will lead company’s introduction of microalgae-based biostimulants and biocontrol products for growers in these two important agricultural regions

AlgaEnergy, a global leader in microalgae biotechnology, continued its global expansion with the appointment of Bachar Blal as Regional Business Manager of its new subsidiary in France and North Africa. Blal has 25 years of agricultural experience in the biological input business in Europe and Africa, as well as other regions.

AlgaEnergy’s President of International Agribusiness, Douglas Ry Wagner, said the company’s investment in France and Africa is an integral prong of AlgaEnergy’s plan to supply innovative microalgae-based solutions to the world’s growers.

“Growers and consumers in France and throughout Europe continue to demand residue-free food produced using sustainable growing practices. In fact, organic agriculture in this area grows consistently at a rate of 15 percent every year,” said Wagner. “At the same time, the demand for sustainable agricultural solutions in Africa creates a natural fit to link such practices between Europe and North Africa to produce high-quality food products that comply with European rules for residue-free foods.”

Blal was most recently Vice President of R&D at Acadian Plant Health. Prior to that, he was General Manager of Valorhyze in Morocco, a subsidiary of Éléphant Vert, a Swiss company. He began his career in biological inputs for agriculture with his own company, Biorize, one of the first companies to develop and commercialize mycorrhizae-based bio-fertilizers. He holds the degrees of Ph. D. in agronomy and soil microbiology from the University of Burgundy, engineer in forest management from ENGREF Montpellier, master’s degree in ecology from the University of Montpellier, and agronomist jointly from ENSA Abidjan and University of Montpellier.                                                  

In addition to France, AlgaEnergy has established subsidiaries in the U.S., Mexico, India, Turkey, Australia and Brazil.