Evogene Ltd (EVGN)

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Casterra and Fantini Partner to Advance Agricultural Mechanization for Scalable Commercial Castor Farming

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/casterra-fantini-partner-advance-agricultural-120000106.html

Collaboration focuses on integrating high-yield castor varieties with advanced mechanized solutions, including harvesting and threshing technologies

REHOVOT, Israel and MANTOVA, Italy, Nov. 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Casterra Ag Ltd. ("Casterra"), an Israeli developer of high-yield castor seed varieties and integrated castor farming solutions — and a subsidiary of Evogene Ltd. (NASDAQ: EVGN) (TASE: EVGN), and Fantini Italia S.R.L. ("Fantini"), a leading Italian developer and manufacturer of agricultural harvesting equipment, today announced a strategic collaboration for large-scale, commercial castor cultivation through advanced mechanization technologies.

The partnership is designed to meet the rising global demand for castor oil used for the production of biofuels and bio-based industrial products, by developing comprehensive and scalable farming solutions that integrate specially bred castor varieties with cutting-edge farm machinery.

The global castor oil and derivatives market is currently valued at approximately USD 2.4 billion and is expected to reach USD 3.09 billion by 2030, advancing at a 5.20% CAGR[1]. Castor oil and its derivatives are utilized across a wide range of industries, including lubricants, surface coatings, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, plastics, resins, and increasingly in biofuels.

In recent years, global efforts have intensified to modernize castor farming with mechanized, economically viable systems capable of supporting high-volume, industrial-scale production. The collaboration between Casterra and Fantini directly addresses one of the key challenges in this initiative: bridging the gap between plant genetics and farm mechanization. Casterra's proprietary high-yield castor varieties are specially developed for industrial-scale cultivation and are well-suited to work with Fantini's high-capacity, precision harvesting and threshing technologies. Together, the companies will develop and tailor integrated solutions to serve multiple geographical markets and farming conditions worldwide.

Mr. Yoash Zohar, CEO of Casterra, stated: "This collaboration with Fantini represents true synergy and significantly strengthens our global offering. Fantini brings decades of expertise in the development of agricultural machinery, and combined with our unique castor varieties, we're enabling a breakthrough in castor cultivation. We believe this partnership will play a key role in positioning castor as a sustainable and scalable feedstock for the growing biofuel and bio-based products industries."

Mr Nicola Bonacini, CEO of Fantini Italia S.R.L., added: having a serious partner like Casterra means a great deal for Fantini's Team: it means being able to draw on years of experience, being able to count on their skilled consultants to implement our protocols and procedures, and above all, having the opportunity to improve our machines in collaboration with their best customers. Furthermore, like Casterra, Fantini is also committed to producing agricultural machinery with the lowest possible environmental impact, and according to our estimates, Fantini's solutions currently allow for a reduction in carbon footprint of about two-thirds compared to the most widely actual used solutions.


About Casterra Ag Ltd.:

Casterra, a wholly owned subsidiary of Evogene, is empowering sustainable agriculture through elite castor seed varieties and development of advanced castor farming systems. Casterra leverages advanced genomic capabilities (licensed from Evogene) with its global breeding network to deliver high-yield castor seeds for the bio-based industries. Building on its elite castor seed varieties, Casterra combines agronomic expertise to develop advanced castor farming systems worldwide, tailored to diverse growing conditions, supporting farmers and industries in achieving sustainable production goals while advancing bio-based solutions.

For more information, please visit http://www.casterra.co