:quality(50)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/semana/WTEWC4RCPNF4BGKW7GHAWZX53I.jpg "The keys to improving the productivity of the agricultural sector in Colombia")
Nitrofertcompany specializing in Vegetable nutritionaccompanies the country’s medium and small farmers with the aim of providing them with the tools to help them grow and expand.
For the company, the optimization of logistics, the strengthening of the supply chain and the consolidation of commercial ties are of great importance in order to guarantee a integrated, capable and efficient agro-industrial supply chain.
Their efforts focus on some fundamental aspects that we detail below:
Supply power is key Provide the market with highly competitive products at the best possible price. The strategic alliance with the Nitron Groupin principlecommodity trading in Latin America and second in the world, has allowed Nitrofert to guarantee supply and supply to all customers and allies in the sector.
In 2021, 83,610 tons of fertilizers and supplies were sold. For this 2022, in the midst of a complex global geopolitical situation caused by the war between Russia and Ukraine, Nitrofert has managed to supply 277,839 tons so far this year, serving a large part of the national territory and allowing farmers to market their products.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture, 1,900,000 tons of fertilizers per year are needed for the national market. At the end of this year, the company expects to reach 400,000 tons.
Funding plans and programs
Nitrofert generates financing plans for small and medium-sized farmers. Currently, the company has Nitrocredit, a short-term revolving credit servicemore than 130 billion pesos per month (equivalent to one billion pesos per year).
Inclusion
For the company, one of the challenges of agro sector it is to include women and young people from the countryside who have signed the Peace Agreement. That’s why he tries to train them in topics like land work, crops and fertilizers. The company emphasizes their commitment to providing the highest quality plant nutrition and promoting the growth of farming communities with development programs that involve efficient environmental and administrative practices. This effort has made it possible to have an impact on more than 255 peasant families in departments such as Boyacá, Cauca, Nariño, Tolima, Antioquia, among others.
An example of the company’s social commitment was its recent participation in the “Cafés de Colombia” fair, where a line of coffees produced by women, young people and signatories of the Peace Agreement was presented.
Generation of employment
Plant nutrition and the fertilization process are productivity tools, with which more than 2 million farmers in Colombia are affected and 250 direct jobs and around 500 indirect jobs are generated. Therefore, it is essential to increase agricultural productivity with an action plan to improve productive land and agricultural extension, achieving the goal of increasing employability, one of the main pillars of the company.
knowledge transfer
The company has two innovative technological tools: SOIL, an app that aims to reach medium and small farmers, and where they will find key information they can use on a daily basis, with topics focusing on plant nutrition and fertilization plans, financial education, and business connectivity. And on the other hand, Nitrosoil 4.0, a digital agriculture system focused on technical crops, which will have important tools such as satellite measurement of crops, among others.
Investment
Nitrofert recently made an investment of over $ 30 million in the Nitrocaribe fertilizer plant in Santa Marta, with which it hopes to reach the procurement target for all regions of the country.
complementary techniques
Nitrofert has developed a research project that has a productive complement through organic fertilization, for this reason the Nitrovital brand was founded, which aims to deepen wide-ranging projects with all the components and responsibility that this process deserves.
“Colombia is a key player for the next 10 years in terms of food production nationwide and also as a major exporter. If we effectively integrate the supply and production of fertilizers with consumption in the final market, we will be able to have a significant presence and sustainable leadership, ”says Andrés Piñero, president of the company.
Nitrofert is betting on the future of the country with all its technical and financial resources, convinced that Colombia will be one of the main food pantries in the world.
