PhosAgro and Innopraktika continue developing biological products

Within the framework of the 24th St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, PhosAgro and the non-state development institution Innopraktika signed a memorandum on the development of agrobiotechnologies and support for agricultural education. The document was signed by the First Deputy General Director of Innopraktika Natalya Popova and PhosAgro CEO Andrey Guryev.

The new document supplements the agreement signed in December 2019 and the roadmap for cooperation between PhosAgro and Innopraktika in the development of innovations for 2021-2023. The memorandum is aimed at determining the priority areas of joint work of the companies.

These areas include work on the development of domestic biotechnologies for the agro-industrial complex (AIC) and the introduction of biological methods in Russian agriculture.

Since 2020, PhosAgro has been participating in the Innagro project initiated by Innopraktika to test biological products for the agricultural sector. The results of the first stage of testing conducted at the sites of PhosAgro showed that the yield of wheat and barley increased by about 10%. The increased resistant of plants to various diseases was also noted. PhosAgro continues its participation in the Innagro project in 2021.

Another area is to support the agricultural education system. Within the framework of the agreement, PhosAgro and Innopraktika will direct joint efforts to form a training system for the Russian AIC, focused on the rapid adaptation to innovations and the development of high-tech production of agricultural products in Russia. The companies intend to implement a series of joint career guidance programs, which by 2023 will reach 15 thousand students in 30 agricultural universities in Russia.

Moreover, the regional versions of the educational program will take into account the specifics of the region and the student’s prospects for employment in the regional AIC.

PhosAgro scientific and practical educational center at the Moscow Timiryazev Agricultural Academy launched in October 2020 will become the core of the educational program. Especially for the students of the educational center, PhosAgro developed a course of lectures based on a detailed understanding of the company in the mineral nutrition system and the experience of its application in Russia and more than 100 countries around the world. Thus, advanced knowledge and best practices will be replicated from the main Russian agricultural university to all regions of the country.

“The range of cooperation between PhosAgro and Innopraktika is quite wide. It includes innovations in the field of new biological products for intensive and sustainable agriculture and digital products. Many projects of PhosAgro and Innopraktika are aimed at further development of the green segment, such as improving soil health, developing soil biodiversity, and producing agricultural products with improved characteristics using environmentally friendly mineral fertilizers and ameliorants,” noted PhosAgro CEO Andrey Guryev. “PhosAgro today is the company that sets eco-efficiency global standards. The company continues to expand its product line. In the coming years, we plan to expand the portfolio of mineral fertilizers developed together with our partners to 100 brands.”

According to the statement of Andrey Guryev, over the past two years, PhosAgro has launched four agricultural landfills and already completed there over 100 tests of mineral nutrition systems for key Russian crops based on modern PhosAgro products. They have also compiled a catalog of optimal plant nutrition systems for soil and climatic conditions.

“PhosAgro pays important attention to the development and application of green technologies, as well as the creation of new brands of eco-efficient products that ensure the safety of agricultural production within the framework of the green standard developed on behalf of the President of Russia. We want the green direction to become a new platform for the development of the Russian AIC based on two complementary principles of high yields and product quality and environmental friendliness,” Andrey Guryev added. “We are confident that the consolidation of green agricultural technologies in Russia is a matter of the near future. Thanks to projects such as Innagro, the realization of the Russian potential in biotechnology will be achieved much faster. While the new educational programs of PhosAgro and Innopraktika will promote the development of the domestic green and biotechnologies in the market for the agro-industrial complex.”