Want China Times, Xinhua 2015-05-02
Microbiology applied to agricultural products is connecting China with Argentina, two emerging markets with complementary economies and strategic partners looking to increase bilateral exchanges.
An organic experimental farm using agricultural microbiological technology in Beijing, Oct. 27, 2013. (File photo/CNS) |
Microbiology applied to agricultural products is connecting China with Argentina, two emerging markets with complementary economies and strategic partners looking to increase bilateral exchanges.
Among the
many links between Beijing and Buenos Aires, Argentine firm Rizobacter stands
out. The company, which uses microbiology to boost soy output while cutting
production costs, has been in business for 38 years and reports an annual
turnover of US$100 million, 20% from exports.
In
December, a delegation of the Academy of Sciences from China's Heilongjiang
province visited the firm in Pergamino, a city located 180 km northeast of the
capital Buenos Aires.
The
delegation came to explore the possibility of signing an agreement for joint
research and development of microbiological technologies, to improve Chinese
soil and output.
"We
are here to visit and get to know the Rizobacter plant," said Wang Gang, vice
president of the academy.
"We
are very interested in getting to know the technology being developed by this
company and all of the efforts on the production of soybean, mainly related to
soybeans and rhizobia," Wang added.
The
Argentine company "sends products to countries like Brazil, Uruguay,
Paraguay, Bolivia, the US, Canada, Germany, Turkey, Ukraine, Russia and China,
and has 400 employees. It is a very technological and professional
company," Rizobacter CEO Ricardo Yapur said in an interview with Xinhua.
Rizobacter
produces microbial, or soil, inoculants that are used to boost soybean
production. The inoculants are applied to the seeds so when they germinate they
can better absorb nitrogen in the air.
The method
is not only highly sustainable, because unlike chemical fertilizers, it doesn't
pollute the air, water or soil, and it's also cost effective, said Yapur.
The microbe
costs between US$5 and US$10 per hectare, in contrast to urea fertilizer, which
requires high pressure and temperatures to function, requiring burning
petroleum, and costs US$150 dollars per hectare, said Yapur.
"This
technology has been fully adopted in Argentina, where 90% of producers use
inoculants, because the technology and the data shows it binds enough nitrogen
to produce good results," he said, adding "it increases output by
about 150 kg of soy."
At its
plant, the company has the ability to carry out tests, quality control, and
strain selection, and to experiment with different factors, such as temperature
and light.
Related Article:
No comments:
Post a Comment