Kelvin Kalala, agrónomo de desarrollo técnico en ATS Agrochemicals, dice que ha sido testigo de un crecimiento increíble en la industria africana de insumos agrícolas en los últimos 20 años, una tendencia que no ve que se desacelere en el corto plazo.
ATS, un distribuidor de agroquímicos que está a la vanguardia de este crecimiento, tiene su sede en Lusaka, Zambia. La empresa está ubicada en 10 provincias de Zambia y la vecina República Democrática del Congo y ha proporcionado una protección completa de cultivos que abarca desde productos antes de la cosecha hasta productos posteriores a la cosecha durante más de dos décadas.
The company, which is currently the largest crop protection distributor in Zambia, has found success in providing an extensive distribution network and having the know-how that growers need to optimize their production. Furthermore, ATS Agrochemicals provides environmentally safe chemical products, frequent farmer training, workshops and field visits. Kalala says all of these things position ATS Agrochemicals well in the massive growth Africa’s crop input industry is experiencing.
“Zambia is a large emerging industry,” says Kalala. “Every household has at least a piece of land which they use for cultivation. Our goal at ATS Agrochemicals is to proudly serve and support farmers from sowing to harvest.”
As with all market growth, Kalala says he has also seen the competition in the agchem industry getting tougher. “Many other companies have come onto the market in the last 20 years,” he explains. Kalala says that growers have become more educated on the importance of the products as a result. “Our customers have changed from mainly commercial growers to growers of all sizes.”
This growth, he explains, is influenced mainly by the increase in agricultural productivity as a whole, which has propelled the demand for crop protection products. According to the World Bank, agriculture now employs 65% of the continent’s labor force and accounts for 32% of gross domestic product. World Bank also confirms that agricultural performance has been rapidly improving in Sub-Saharan Africa, moving from a 2.3% per year growth rate in the 1980s to a 3.8% rate from 2000 to 2005, accounting for the increased demand ATS has seen.
The company predicts not only success down the road, but also challenges. “There are a lot of myths about some products destroying the soils, glyphosate being one of them.” In addition, Kalala says that the illegal trading of products by unregistered distributors is a rampant issue in the both Zambia and the Democratic Republic Of Congo.
Kalala suggests that in order to combat these problems, potential investors should take a keen interest in raising awareness and educating farmers on the importance of the safe use of crop protection products. “It goes without saying that this area has huge potential,” he explains. “We’re meeting our target sales and see great growth on the horizon.” Listing herbicides, insecticides, fungicides and adjuvants as the products of most interest for him, Kalala states that the key to success for ATS Agrochemicals is to provide a true relationship based on integrity, product innovation and service delivery.
For more information on how Africa’s agrochemical trends and market updates, regístrese para la próxima Cumbre Comercial de la FCI en Durban, Sudáfrica.