AGROLOGY SA : innovative players in global specialty crop input markets

AGROLOGY is a specialty crop input manufacturer located at the industrial area of Thessaloniki in Greece. Since 1982, AGROLOGY sells products around the world through its product distribution network, including in Asia Pacific since 2014. Michalis Papaeconomou,CEO of AGROLOGY SA, recently took an interview with AgroPages and shared with us on the Asia Pacific specialty crop input markets.

Q1：Could you introduce AGROLOGY SA to our readers briefly?

AGROLOGY SA is a fast growing company with 35 years of experience in formulating, packaging, and supplying markets with Plant Protection and Specialty Plant Nutrition products. Its successful strategy is based on continuous investments and long lasting cooperation with acclaimed Research Institutions in each country it is active, to develop local agronomic know-how on a wide range of crops and cropping systems. The combination of specialty formulation know-how and multi-country crop experience has helped AGROLOGY setup many joint projects with multinationals to design new products, which further contributes to the development of new formulation technologies and product compositions.

Q2：What the important achievements that the company made in these years?

AGROLOGY has so far developed 3 main proprietary formulation technologies that are integrated into its product range, S3, E2DA and SmartFlow. AGROLOGY has integrated Quality, Environmental and Social Responsibility in its business operations following the triptych of economic growth, viability and social cohesion, achieving in that way to having been certified according to ISO 9001, ISO 14001, OHSAS 18001 since 2003.

Q3：What kinds of technology solutions were provided by AGROLOGY SA?

AGROLOGY has so far developed 3 proprietary technologies (S3, E2DA & SmartFlow) that extend the limits of current liquid foliar plant nutrition formulations.

Specifically:

· S3 provides Ultra-high concentrations compared to liquid nutrition products. S3^® is the technology behind the NPK XGel product line resulting in a 300% increase in NPK concentrations compared to traditional liquid foliar formulations. All without sacrificing stability or ease of use.

· E²DA accelerates and increases uptake and mobility of nutrient by overcoming physiological barriers. E²DA^®, that is integrated in all our nutrient products, is based on the use of a proprietary organic factor, that has been shown in recent studies to increase the speed of nutrient uptake through the cuticle up to 34%.

· SmartFlow provides extended shelf-life, stability and pourability of highly concentrated Suspension Concentrates.SmartFlow^® is based on extensive formulation know-how gathered during the35-year history in pesticide formulation. It enables the creation of formulations with enhanced pourability, suspensibility, and extended shelf life.

The use of these technological platforms allows the development of high value specialty products that significantly improve the yield and harvest quality potential of crops across the world.

Q4：How to provide better services as well as solutions to your customers? Please also share some cases to explain it?

The company continuously develops and integrates new technologies into its product lines in order to improve the quality and efficacy of its products and to further cover the needs and requirements of its clients by providing innovative and reliable solutions.Localized trials carried out in the countries where AGROLOGY exports its products as well as the collaboration with acclaimed local research institutions is driving the development of know-how of its products in the local cropping systems. 

Q5：What the core strengths of AGROLOGY SA?

AGROLOGY has traced a route of continuous development since it was founded and still remains faithful to its mission, by maintaining credibility and reliability as its core values. The company ensures the quality of its products and services, pursues long-term collaborations and partnerships, invests in knowledge and in the continuous training of its partners and meets its partners’ needs, having as a guide innovation, reliability and localized know-how.

Q6：What about company’s sale performance in each target markets?

AGROLOGY has been active since 1982 with a stable consolidated annual growth rate. Its recent export annual sales growth in the European and Asian markets is 30%, with a stronger focus on the latter.

Q7： Are there any differences between Asia Pacific and other regional market? 

The Asia Pacific market indicates a significant appetite for highly differentiated specialty products like ours, strengthening the view that there is a strong growth outlook and a corresponding big demand for increasing crop value and yield potential.

Q8： What are opportunities and challenges in Asia Pacific special fertilizer market?

There is an increasing demand for total crop know-how and innovative and differentiated product solutions. High quality technical product development is required to help farmers achieve their crops quality and yield potential.

Q9： When you started fertilizer business in Asia Pacific region?

In 2014 we started our nutrient export business to the Asia Pacific region via 1 or 2 highly specialized local agricultural input distributors in each country we launch our brands.

Q10： What your strategies to expand your business in Asia Pacific region?

AGROLOGY is interested in identifying and collaborating with technically-oriented agricultural input distributors in order to jointly develop its products and local technical know-how for each market.

Q11：How to support your strategic partners to promotes the products in Asia Pacific market?

AGROLOGY supports its partners with joint marketing and technical campaigns while also supporting localized product trials and field demonstrations. A strong pipeline of innovative products provides its distribution networks with new products to support local cropping needs.

Q12： What kinds of products have lunched in Asia Pacific market? Why?

Our whole product range is currently being exported to Asia Pacific, which is in line with our strategy to develop total crop solutions. Launching a full range of products in a market allows us to offer extensive technical support and provide fertilization advice to improve every aspect of plant growth.

Our range is composed of the following series of products.

· XGel Line: Gel macronutrient foliar fertilizers offering high concentration and maximized efficacy.

· Plex Line: Straight Macro or Micro high-performance-nutrients offering maximum application flexibility.

· Suprafix Line: Combinations of Macro or Micro nutrients, providing solutions in improving specific aspect of the crop.

· Nodius Line: Super-stimulants optimised for high value crops, that utilize various organic molecules, giving a significant boost to yield and quality