Plant Nutrition Industry with Questions and Answers

Question 1. Could you please explain a little bit about what we aim to explain with the concepts of Food Chain and Cyclic Sustainable Food Design, which we never discussed before but came into our lives with the increasing population and developing world life?

Answer 1. As you know, our population is increasing rapidly, and it is estimated that it will be 9.8 billion by 2050; besides, it has reached the limit in agricultural areas, that is, we are unable to open more agricultural areas in parallel with the population growth, and there is a risk of decrease in unit production due to reasons such as climate change. we are facing. This situation compels us to live together and to do something for each other much more than ever before in our world, which is our only living space. Projection studies show that there can be a 35-40% increase in productivity by 2050. While 800 million people are currently facing the problem of hunger, if we add the burden of the increasing population, it does not seem possible for this increase in productivity to meet all demands. At this point, there is a need for other steps that need to be taken and make it mandatory for us to bring our humanity to the fore. For example, by changing our consumption habits, with a 50% decrease in demand, we can eliminate the larger-scale food security problems and inadequacy that humanity may face. Today's consumption habits of developed countries have focused on consuming more calories and animal protein than needed. This puts pressure on the ecosystem. In addition, the waste is too much, plant products can also be used as biofuels. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) steps in at this point and aims to produce and spread inclusive solutions to the problem with the Sustainable Food and Agriculture System. In this system, more effective use of inputs used in agriculture, protection of natural resources, more responsible and effective management of management mechanisms, the flexibility of resilience to problems that may arise with the use of technology, and covering all environmental, economic, and social dimensions, which are the basic pillars of sustainable agricultural production, are the priority targets. Here, we can talk about an agricultural value chain, which covers the entire production, transportation, and processing processes from agricultural input production to the food that end consumers eat and drink at their tables.

Question 2. Could you also talk about the "Farm to Fork Strategy", which has become widespread in the EU, one of the world's most important economic powers, and has a central position in environmental sustainability issues? What does it mean? After all, where does it aim to deliver, the countries of the union?

Answer 2. The EU aims to i) reduce the impact and carbon footprint of the agriculture and food system, ii) play a leading role on a global scale to reduce the negative effects of biodiversity reduction and the food security problem that will arise as a result of climate change, iii) be competitive in the farm-to-table process, and It aims to create new opportunities while making sustainable transformation and iv) to increase resilience for the sustainable system. Some important changes/transformations/developments also concern the fertilizer and plant nutrition products sector. For example, the EU aims to reduce the use of fertilizers by 20% by 2030, while it plans to reduce plant nutrient losses by 50%. The losses considered to be reduced here also include the further recycling of agricultural and urban organic wastes. In other words, it aims to use the plant nutrients found in these residues in more plant production. More utilization of agricultural and urban residues in our country should be aimed at protecting the productivity of the country's soils with very low organic matter and reducing the risks of desertification, rather than setting a target of 20% reduction in the use of fertilizers in our country, which does not currently use much fertilizer.

Question 3. Speaking of fertilizers, that is, plant nutrition products, as you mentioned, could you elaborate on this, please? What processes are taking place in the sector? What are the global effects of the increase in fertilizer prices?

Answer 3. As you know, 50% of the increase in plant yields in the last 40-50 years has been due to fertilizers. Of course, until it was understood that fertilizers containing nutrients, which have negative environmental effects, such as nitrogen and phosphorus, also carry environmental risks, the use of more than necessary caused significant problems, especially for developed countries. However, in these countries, as a result of the problems experienced, environmental sensitivities have come to the fore, and there has been a significant decrease in plant nutrient usage doses per unit area. In the same period, with the understanding of the economic conditions and the importance of plant nutrition, there has been a significant increase in the use of nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizers in our country. Currently, the average nitrogen and phosphorus levels used per unit area in our country are almost the same as the EU and world averages, which have reduced the usage doses with the awareness they experience. It fully overlaps with EU countries such as Italy, Spain, and Greece, which have the same environmental characteristics as ours, such as precipitation and soil characteristics. Therefore, it would not be correct to say that too much fertilizer is used in our country, except for some local regions. The energy crisis due to the increase in natural gas prices affects sectors covering a wide area from fertilizer production and use, and as a natural result, agricultural production and consumption in terms of both price and quality. For example, according to an article in Bloomberg, rising natural gas prices have forced production to halt or cut back at several nitrogen fertilizer plants, including Norway's Yara International ASA and Europe's leading chemical company BASF SE. According to Fertilizer Europe, natural gas accounts for about 80% of the cost of producing nutrients, and prices are four to five times higher than usual. The risk of fertilizer shortages to reduce grain yield and quality in the European Union, the world's largest wheat exporter and an important barley supplier, has also increased considerably. While maize producers in the US are switching from maize to soy, coffee producers in Brazil are not getting the fertilizers they ordered. This inevitably causes price increases in agricultural products on a global scale.

Emin Bulent ERENOGLU

15.11.2021