Crucial Development: Part 2

The company offers engineered and new production plants in many regions that that did not previously have fertilizer blending available, such as Ethiopia and Uganda. In Ethiopia, the AGI Yargus blending technology was chosen by the Agriculture Transformation Authority (ATA) in Ethiopia for the first fertilizer blending and bagging facility located in the town of Tulu Bolo, located 80 km from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. This facility was the first location to receive funding for blending and bagging, which was funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), an independent agency of the US federal government that is primarily responsible for administering civilian foreign aid and development assistance, and ACDI VOCA, an international development non-profit organization that fosters broad-based economic growth.

AGI Yargus also built the first fertilizer plant in Uganda. Developed with grainpulse fertilizer, the blending facility used the Layco-Pro 50DW automated blending system. The system was manufactured as a duplicate of the Ethiopian system with the addition of two product conditioners in the hoppers to condition fertilizers like ammonium sulphate, which can tend to contain lumps due to the hydroscopic nature of the fertilizer.

One of East Africa’s largest fertilizer blending plants was supplied by AGI Yargus to ETG Kenya.

The Layco-Pro 120DW automated blending system is designed to blend and bag fertilizers up to 120 tph with dual Nectar M60 bagging lines. The system is designed to coat urea with Agrotain (urease inhibitor), while blending with other fertilizers during the same process. Producers in sub-Saharan Africa use more urea than any other type of fertilizer because it is one of the cheapest sources of nitrogen. The region consumes nearly 3 million tpy of urea, and it makes up more than 40% of its total fertilizer consumption. Along with these features, a tri-coating system was designed to allow the entire fertilizer blend to be coated in a single pass. These blending systems include advanced automation software that ensures blend operation and accuracy is maintained during the metering process of each ingredient.

Moving Forward

The company started developing a plant in 2017 in Nigeria for the BUA Group, a producer of foods and infrastructure in Nigeria. This plant will be the largest facility in Africa with a blending capacity of up to 200 tph with the addition of dual liquid impregnation lines and a laycote powder feed. Due to the high production volume planned, this system is designed with an industrial conveyance system. AGI Yargus flat wire chain metering systems on the main product hoppers provide the flexibility to blend fertilizers at a high capacity and with a high degree of accuracy.

AGI Yargus continues to develop high capacity plants in Nigeria and is currently bringing on a similar capacity plant for a leading nitrogen producer in Nigeria. Further developments include the partnership with a leading crop nutrition laboratory in the Sub-Saharan Africa. With this partnership, AGI Fertilizer can provide a complete fertilizer solution that will help diagnose fertilizer requirements for various regions, and improving fertilizer blend formulations specific for the soil and crops.

Read the article online at: https://www.worldfertilizer.com/special-reports/21122018/crucial-development-part-2/