GÜBRETAŞ, which has taken important steps in the field of private sector, public and academic collaborations within the scope of R&D studies it has concentrated on in recent years, added a new one to these with the chief dealership agreement it made with Turkish Coal Enterprises (TKİ). Thus, an important cooperation was signed between two leading companies from the agriculture and energy sectors, which will provide added value to the country's agriculture and national economy.

As a result of the negotiations that have been held for a while, a cooperation was established to deliver the TKİ-Hümas product, obtained from coal by the Turkish Coal Enterprises and used as a soil conditioner in agriculture, to agricultural producers. GÜBRETAŞ Chairman of the Board of Directors Dr. The TKİ-Hümas Chief Dealership Agreement, signed by Fahrettin Poyraz and Turkish Coal Enterprises (TKİ) General Manager Ömer Bayrak, aims to reduce farmers' costs and increase agricultural efficiency through the more effective use of Humic Acid, one of the important underground resources of our country, in agriculture.

Within the scope of the contract, GÜBRETAŞ will be the sole authorized and chief dealer for the marketing, sales and distribution of this product produced by TKİ for 5 years. With the aim of transforming domestic resources into added value for the national economy, GÜBRETAŞ will ensure that the product is delivered to foreign markets, in addition to its domestic sales, through the export activities it has focused on in recent years.

Within the framework of the agreement, 160 thousand liters of TKİ HÜMAS, produced primarily in TKİ's Ilgın facilities, will be made available to farmers by GÜBRETAŞ. In the second phase of the project, when TKİ moves its humic acid facilities to Soma Tunçbilek, studies such as content enrichment of the product and cost optimization will be carried out through joint R&D studies.

With the dealership agreement, it is aimed to make at least 1.5 million liters of TKİ-Hümas product available for agricultural production at home and abroad by 2025.

“THE IMPORTANCE WILL BE UNDERSTOOD IN TIME”

Speaking at the ceremony, General Manager of Agricultural Credit Cooperatives and GÜBRETAŞ Chairman of the Board of Directors, Dr. Fahrettin Poyraz said, “Thanks to this cooperation, the productivity of agricultural areas will be increased and the national economy will also be contributed to by exporting the product abroad. "I believe that this study, for which TKİ has been carrying out R&D for more than 10 years, is one of the steps that will bring a solution to the productivity problem in agriculture," he said.

Emphasizing that the benefits of the agreement to agriculture will be better understood in the future, Poyraz said, "As Turkey, we have some dilemmas. Unfortunately, we have to import a significant part of agricultural inputs in food production. On the other hand, we have an obligation to produce these products. We must deliver these to our consumers at the most reasonable price. For this reason, productivity increase comes to the fore. That's why this agreement is historic for Turkish agriculture. Over time, it will be better understood that this agreement is very important for Turkey's economy and agriculture. This is our own, local work. No matter how you look at it, it is a beneficial business for our country in every aspect. "Over time, as it becomes more widespread, we will all see the beneficial results of this, reflecting its importance on prices for both farmers, producers and consumers," he said.

In his speech at the ceremony, GÜBRETAŞ General Manager İbrahim Yumaklı stated that the export of the product will create added value for Turkey and said: "Unfortunately, our soils are not sufficient in terms of organic matter and humic acid has a very important place to improve soil quality. With this agreement, we will be able to deliver this product to all agricultural areas across Türkiye. "We will work not only for the domestic distribution of this value-added product but also for its export abroad," he said.

Pointing out that according to scientific research, 1 liter of humic acid is equal to 8 tons of animal manure, Yumaklı said, "This is a serious difference in ratio. "In this way, we will save resources and reduce costs," he said.

TKİ General Manager Ömer Bayrak also stated that supporting and strengthening domestic producers is of strategic importance. Stating that TKİ started humic acid production in 2009, Bayrak said: "Our aim in this agreement is production with domestic and national resources. By increasing the use of our TKİ-Hümas brand liquid humic acid product, with which we can increase the production capacity up to 1 million liters per year when necessary, we aim to reduce our producers' dependence on foreign sources for fertilizer needs, and to improve and regulate agricultural lands and make them more fertile. “Our work on this issue will continue.” At the end of the ceremony held at TKİ General Directorate in Ankara, gifts were exchanged in memory of the day.

EFFICIENCY IN AGRICULTURE INCREASES WITH HUMIC ACID OBTAINED FROM COAL

In order to obtain efficiency from agricultural lands, the amount of organic matter must be at least 3 percent. However, in the vast majority of Türkiye's soil, the organic matter level is below 3 percent. This situation reduces the fertility capacity of the soil and prevents the expected benefit from plant nutrition.

Humic acid is the most active ingredient of humus. Humus is the most important substance that facilitates the uptake of chemical fertilizers thrown into the soil. Humic acid is found mostly in low-calorie coals called Leonardite in nature.

Developed by obtaining low-calorie coals called "leonardite" with the studies initiated by TKİ in 2009, TKİ Humas is used as a soil conditioner in agricultural production thanks to the organic matter and humic-fulvic acid it contains.

Enriching the soil with organic matter before planting increases the efficiency in agricultural production. TKİ Humas is an important product that can be used primarily for this purpose. In addition, this product can be used directly through the plant in drip irrigation.

With the use of TKİ-Hümas, which contains humic acid, the humus rate and organic matter, which are not found in sufficient amounts in 90% of Turkey's soil, are restored, thus increasing productivity.

Humic acid; It increases the aeration of the soil, its water retention ability and the capillary / fringe roots of the plant. Since it maintains the acid-base balance of the soil, it helps plants absorb nutrients from their roots more easily and quickly. Its cation exchange capacity is very high. For these reasons, it is present in the soil and ensures that the plant receives the nutrients that the plant cannot absorb, and has a serious impact on productivity and growth rate.