Business is booming for Lancashire crops specialists

Levity Crop Science is experiencing record global demand for its crop enhancement products, with over 70 per cent of its revenue a result of exports into new markets and expansion in the United States.

The Bilsborrow-based company, which has developed products to help farmers close the gap between potential and average yields, has seen sales exceed £1m in the first quarter of 2020, outstripping total sales for 2019.

The pioneering bioactive crop enhancements work with the plants’ natural systems to increase production without causing environmental damage.

Farmers using Levity Crop Science’s products have seen huge benefits to their crops in terms of yield, quality, shelf-life, and ability to withstand stress from bad growing conditions.

The Department for International Trade has been advising Levity Crop Science on its export strategy since 2017. Last year the business grew its presence in the US from two to eight states, a development that accounts for more than 60 per cent of this year’s sales to date.

Managing director David Marks said his company’s innovation is making a valuable contribution to farmers around the world.

He said: “It’s a real adventure and a great privilege to be able to help the farmers that grow the world’s food, delivering more, higher quality crops, and helping the environment at the same time.

“We’ll potentially have an additional two billion mouths to feed globally by 2050, and with the economic strain caused by the Coronavirus, it’s essential that we find new ways to increase crop yields and make the agricultural sector as efficient as possible.

“Exporting has been a pillar of our success since we started trading, and we’re ambitious about what we can achieve this year. I am optimistic that our transatlantic sales will continue to grow in importance.”

Levity Crop Science’s sustainable fertilizers have remained in demand throughout the pandemic.

International Trade Secretary Liz Truss said: “At this testing time, it’s more important than ever that we keep global trade flowing and supply chains open.

“By exporting sprays and fertilizers, Levity Crop Science is one of the many UK companies helping farmers across the world ensure that food reaches our tables.”