Jeremy Chua, Chief Technical Officer & Co-founder, BioArk
Farming practices throughout Asia are under increasing pressure to boost output while minimizing environmental damage. For BioArk, a Singapore-based agritech company, this challenge serves as the foundation for reimagining how fertilizers are manufactured, applied, and integrated into existing systems without requiring costly operational changes from farmers.
Rather than focusing on historical or legacy methods, BioArk’s team develops bio-based fertilizers that directly compete with conventional chemical inputs.
“Our goal is to provide a like-for-like substitute,” says Jeremy Chua, BioArk’s CTO and co-founder, in an email to e27. “One that performs as well, costs comparably, and doesn’t require farmers to rework their operations.”
Its flagship product, Arktivate, is positioned as an interchangeable input that delivers immediate results while improving soil conditions over time. The company frames this as part of a broader “symbiotic ecosystem” approach, blending ecological processes with applied science to produce measurable outcomes in crop yields, soil health and environmental impact.
Key to BioArk’s development philosophy is the view that plant health cannot be separated from environmental health.
“Nature manages nutrient cycling and biodiversity without external inputs,” says Chua. “We try to understand how that works, identify the underlying scientific principles, and build those into our product designs.”
This involves leveraging biotechnology processes to incorporate sustainably sourced organic inputs. The objective is to enhance the availability and uptake of nutrients while supporting the surrounding soil microbiome. According to the company, field tests demonstrate that these fertilizers can match or outperform traditional inputs while reducing reliance on fossil fuel–based products like urea or mined resources such as phosphate and potash.
The company also points to early evidence suggesting that every tonne of its fertilizer used may help store approximately 0.5 tonnes of CO₂ equivalent annually through improved soil biology. While this data is still being validated, it reflects a broader goal: to enable farming methods that are economically viable while contributing to climate mitigation and ecosystem regeneration.
Growth Strategy
BioArk is currently focusing on expansion in Indonesia and is exploring similar opportunities across key Southeast Asian agricultural markets. Countries including Vietnam, Thailand and the Philippines present significant opportunities, given their high food production levels and vulnerability to environmental degradation.
Matthew Edward Loh, Chief Executive Officer & Co-founder, BioArk
The company’s strategy involves close collaboration with local farming communities to adapt its products to specific soil conditions and crop types. This includes on-the-ground demonstrations, training sessions and ongoing agronomic support. This approach is designed to reduce barriers to adoption and ensure compatibility with existing agricultural practices.
The decision to avoid requiring major behavioral shifts reflects one of the company’s core assumptions: that new tools for sustainable agriculture must be easy to use, or risk being ignored altogether. Many today’s alternatives—such as organic farming or precision agriculture—offer environmental benefits but often require significant capital investment or operational changes.
“Inertia is a real issue,” Chua says. “If we want widespread change, solutions must fit into current systems, not expect systems to change first.”
BioArk’s approach also reflects broader shifts in how agricultural innovation is pursued, particularly in urban centers such as Singapore. As a regional hub for agri-food research, the city-state has provided BioArk access to government-backed R&D facilities, startup support networks and policy frameworks that prioritize sustainability.
Partnerships with local agencies, including Enterprise Singapore (ESG), have supported BioArk’s product development and helped position its technology for international deployment. Chua notes this environment has allowed the team to quickly iterate and validate its fertilizers before scaling into wider markets.
Looking ahead, BioArk aims to expand its manufacturing capacity, extend field trials across Asia and forge new partnerships to accelerate adoption. Its long-term objective is to reduce the agricultural sector’s reliance on synthetic fertilizers while contributing to improved soil resilience and carbon storage.
“Our focus is on scaling what works—environmentally, scientifically and economically,” Chua says. “Not in isolation, but in partnership with the growers who work the land every day.”
