Agro-100 has just made major, cutting-edge investments to set up a one-of-a-kind industrial complex, following the integration of Axter Agroscience, a company specializing in biostimulants that it acquired in 2021. These new facilities now allow Agro-100 to stand out clearly in its markets, thanks in particular to the synergy created by pooling the expertise of both companies, which gives it a clear head start.
Located in Joliette itself, on a 30,000 m² site, the complex now includes a total of 9 buildings, including 2 manufacturing plants, 5 warehouses, office space and 1 equipment maintenance shop. This new state-of-the-art plant is designed so that each product now follows its own dedicated production route all the way to the storage tank, which will reduce any risk of contamination and avoid the use of cleaning water.
On the environmental front, the complex also has a water recovery system that drastically reduces water use, with the water being continuously reused.
“This new production complex gives us a first-rate strategic and competitive advantage,” President and CEO Stéphane Beaucage said today, adding that these new liquid fertilizer and biostimulant production facilities will offer a production capacity of 10 million litres of liquid urea and up to 16 million litres per year of Agro-Foliar products and biostimulants.
In his view, this transformation of Agro-100’s technology platform is in line with major market shifts and with the challenges that farmers will face in the near future in terms of food production.
Mr. Beaucage points to a recent report commissioned by RBC and produced in collaboration with BCG’s (Boston Consulting Group) Centre for Canada’s Future and the Arrell Food Institute at the University of Guelph in Ontario. The report reveals that Canada will need to increase its food production by 25% by 2050 simply to maintain its contribution to feeding an ever-growing world population, not to mention the obligation to reduce the environmental impact of farming practices, without significantly increasing the area of land used.
“Agro-100 is also well positioned for the short, medium and long term with these investments in innovative research and development programs aimed at identifying new methods and technologies to make farming practices more sustainable,” Mr. Beaucage continued.
He cited as an example the development of technologies such as Oligo Prime, with its biostimulants that strengthen the plant’s natural defences against abiotic stress, activate growth responses and help reach full yield potential.
In terms of supply security, Mr. Beaucage stressed that the company now has finished-product storage capacity of 386,000 litres for bulk and 250,000 litres for jugs and totes.
For bulk raw materials, Agro-100 will benefit from a significantly improved storage capacity of 220,000 litres. As part of its strategic coverage of Eastern Canadian markets, Agro-100 has 2 distribution points in Ontario in addition to its Quebec facilities.
Mr. Beaucage concluded by saying he is convinced that this unique liquid fertilizer manufacturing complex in Quebec will bring significant added value to the agricultural sector, with exclusive and distinctive eco-responsible products that can deliver higher yields and better crop quality for growers by maximizing plant and soil health, regardless of the type of crop (vegetables, fruit, potatoes and even field crops), across all agriculturally dense regions.
Source: TVRM, March 13, 2023 (in French).
