Yara International has chosen a site in the UK as the home of its new global production plant for specialty crop nutrition products and biostimulants.
The plant is set to be built close to the company’s existing site in Pocklington, Yorkshire.
Yara said this investment will serve as another sign of its commitment to producing more products that are instrumental in achieving food security and combating climate change.
The company said the facility is set to be one of the largest of its kind in the world and the largest in the UK.
It is expected to be operational by the end of 2025 and to double Yara’s current production capacity of YaraVita specialty crop nutrition products and biostimulants.
Managing director of Yara UK, Jari Pentinmaki, said: “As a global company with production plants and employees all over the world, Yara could have built this plant anywhere, but we chose the UK.
“We are delighted that we are able to support UK agriculture in this way and we know that our current employees in Yorkshire will be excited that production will remain there, just as it has been since 2009.”
YaraVita
Operations director of Yara UK, David Tomkinson, said sales of YaraVita specialty crop nutrition products and biostimulants have grown “fivefold” in the last 20 years.
“These products are formulated to meet the specific needs of crops throughout the growing season and to help them increase their resilience to climate change,” he said.
With the market for global specialty fertilisers projected to grow at a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.8% between 2022 and 2027, Yara aims to capitalise on this.
This growth rate is predicted by MarketsandMarkets, with DunhamTrimmer estimating that biostimulants will grow at an even higher rate – more than 12% – during the period from 2018 and 2030.
Senior vice-president of global innovation at Yara International, Rejane Souza, said: “If one nutrient is lacking or under stress, crop growth, yield and quality can be reduced.
“Specialty crop nutrition products are complementary to traditional mineral fertilisers and are crucial for achieving balanced crop nutrition.
“Although only needed in small amounts, they can make a big difference for farmers and are critical to ensure a lower carbon footprint for food production by increasing yield per unit of land.”
Around 3,000 trials have been conducted to test the quality of YaraVita products, the company said.
The trials have resulted in higher yields, it reported, typically increasing by 3% to 8% and as much as 30%. Higher yields and improved crop quality increase farmers’ profitability and return on investment, the company said.