Fertinagro Bulgaria AD was founded in 2018. It is a representative of one of the leading Spanish manufacturers of products for precision plant nutrition - Fertinagro Biotech, which is part of Spanish agricultural supply group Tervalis. The company's portfolio covers over 300 different specialised products, such as high-tech mineral fertilisers for soil and foliar application, biostimulants and solutions for organic farming. Currently the company’s product are manufactured in 19 plants in Spain, France and Morocco. Currently, the company's sales team covers the entire territory of Bulgaria Radostin Radev is General Manager of the company.
Mr. Radev, Fertinagro, the agricultural supply division of Tervalis, is active in many countries around Europe. What attracted the company to Bulgaria?
Bulgarian agriculture has-long standing traditions and history. In the years preceding the entry of Bulgaria to the European Union, there was high investment activity in the sector. Next steps would have been to improve technologies with the goal to achieve higher yields and, ultimately, higher profitability. Hand in hand with these developments, the need for educated and modern agronomists arose, which fortunately was met in stride by educational institutions in Bulgaria. Today, with all the prerequisites in place- investments in infrastructure and equipment as well as in education- the natural next step is to invest into optimising and modernising the practices in plant growing.
For this purpose exactly, I believe Fertinagro is very well positioned to meet the demands of Bulgarian farmers through its leading position globally, its huge investment in R&D and the numerous patents the company holds in the field of plant nutrition.
Fertinagro has over 32 patents. Can you tell us a bit more about the company’s research activities and in what areas is it most active?
Actually, at the moment the company holds 44 patents. Fertinagro Biotech has the biggest R&D lab in Europe concentrating on the agricultural sector. In addition, it is operating the biggest manufacturing plant in Europe for bio-fertilisers. Every year the company is budgeting over EUR 3 mln for R&D. The main focus areas are preserving and improving soil fertility, manufacturing of ecologically sustainable fertilisers and, of course, optimising the cost structure of farmers. We are actively involved in projects in the field of soil microbiology, bio technologies and ecology. As a result, Fertinagro Biotech has been recognised by the USDA and EPA among others.
In what parts of Bulgaria is Fertinagro active and what is the company’s approach to specific client requests?
In Bulgaria the company’s target markets are producers of cereals, fruits and vegetables, greenhouse operators, etc. All members of our commercial team are experts in the field of plant nutrition and educated agronomists. Their main goal is to educate and consult our partners. Through our very broad portfolio we are able to meet every specific need that our customers have. In addition, we are also providing custom-made solutions for plant nutrition should those be required.
The team covers the whole territory of Bulgaria.