Koppert Biological Systems - bringing life back to the soil

The history of the company began more than 50 years ago. Jan Koppert, a budding Dutch farmer, decides to start growing cucumbers. However they are immediately attacked by the spider mite. In his search for remedies, Koppert discovers that entomophages - insects that simply eat the pests - are excellent against mites. Thus, the first personal experience becomes the beginning of big international business.

Five years ago, the first official representative office of Koppert Biological Systems was established in our country, with the mission of developing sustainable agriculture in partnership with nature. With their arrival to the Kazakh market, domestic farmers had the opportunity to use the best Dutch experience on their farms.

Field Day

Over the years the local farmers have already appreciated the quality and effectiveness of the products, which do not contain chemicals and have a healthy content. More recently, representatives of the company have demonstrated the effectiveness of products directly on the Kazakh fields. Everybody interested was invited to the Field Day in Spiridonovka village of Yegindikol district of Akmola region.

Nurzhan Bisimbayev, a farmer, has been using the company's sustainable fertilizers on his crops for four years now. According to the farmer, if at the very beginning of cooperation experimental treatment was carried out on a small area, now 5,000 hectares of wheat are growing only on Koppert products.

It was interesting to listen to the agronomist of the farm, who told about the treatment of the fields and the results of the use of sustainable fertilizers of the Dutch company.

"Here we sowed Shortandy wheat. We applied a comprehensive sowing program Koppert, starting from seed treatment, application of soil fertilizers, ending with foliar fertilizing. The results were not long in coming. Root system of plants is more developed, crops retain moisture perfectly. Diseases are less apparent. If before the increase was not less than 5 quintals, this year we expect even greater yields. The most important thing - the products are aimed at the improvement and enrichment of soil microbiome", - said the agronomist.

Having seen the result, the farm intends to continue restoring the soil, using the company's sustainable technologies.

Effectiveness of preparations in practice

The company paid much attention to scientific validation of the effectiveness of preparations. As such, this year the preparations are tested on the experimental plots in the Scientific and Production Center of Grain Farming named after A. Barayev.

A small report on the current state of crops, in the sowing of which the integrated plant protection system was applied, was presented by A. Kochorov, head of the plant protection laboratory of the Grain Center. The expert noted that in addition to the threat to plants, aggressive chemicals used in the fields, seed treatment, can cause harm to the human body. Koppert products, due to their organic composition, are absolutely harmless. The second advantage, the expert said, is that the fertilizer is rich in trace elements. For example, if other seed dressers use bacillus only, Dutch products contain three types of bacillus, mycorrhiza, trichoderm, seaweed, beneficial oils, manganese and zinc. The experiments were conducted using minimal, traditional, no-till technology.

"During the growing season, we encountered a drought. For a while, I didn't see any change. Only after the rains the first results began to be evident. On the traditional technology crops, if the height on the control plot was 61.9 cm, on the plot using the company's biopreparations it was 67 cm. This is a significant increase. The roots are also 6.8 cm versus 5.2 cm. They are very well strengthened," - said the scientist. He also told about conducted experiment on seeds treatment with several dressing agents. The expert assures that only SEEDSPOR was able to protect from mycotoxins 100% due to its powerful organic composition.

Specialists of "KokshetauAstykInvest" LLP from Zerendy region came to the Field Day specially to see the results of the application of the company's products on the spot.

"We came together with the management. We work with grains and oilseeds. For us it is also important to reduce the amount of chemicals. We heard about the company, and today we saw the crops with our own eyes. So far I can say that for this region, given the weather conditions, the sprouts are very good. Perhaps the preparations also played a role. But we should judge by the yield, the company says that there will be a yield increase", - Talasbek Shukenov, an agronomist, shared his impressions.

What does the company offer farmers?

Versatility and the use of only natural resources. The sustainable fertilisers are suitable for growing any crop. If spider mites are killed by entomophages, pollination is done by bumblebees. Yes, bumblebees! Yes, bumblebees! Due to the world's shortage of natural pollinators and the inability of some crops to interact with natural pollinators, the company grows bumblebees. Microbes, beneficial fungi and no chemicals are used in the creation of crop protection products. Isn't that working in partnership with nature? Add to the above monitoring, pest traps. A complete arsenal of pest control is ready.

"We're soil fans! It contains all the life and seeds of future crops. I was delighted by the desire of Kazakh farmers to improve the fertility of the land. Our company is ready to help farmers of Kazakhstan to make the country an agro-economy," said Aron Oosthoek, head of production in Holland and Kazakhstan, welcoming the farmers to the field.

That must be worth believing. After all, the company's solutions for agriculture are already helping to minimize the gap between organic and conventional farming in different parts of the world. Thanks to the company's work, more and more farmers are consciously refusing to use pesticides. The products don't just protect plants, they help support the entire life cycle of plants by restoring the natural balance of the soil. The company's partners in Canada, for example, reduced the use of nitrogen and phosphorus by 20-25% while completely abandoning the use of fungicides, herbicides, insecticides and pesticides.

Mission - to bring life back to the soil

General Director of KOPPERT BIOLOGICAL SYSTEMS B.V. Mr. Henri Oosthoek tried to convey the mission of the company to the guests. His words about the global challenges for mankind, such as hunger, desertification, soil erosion, where the decisive role will be played by agriculture with the rational use of natural resources, found an echo in the soul of every farmer. The head of the company urged everyone to work in partnership with nature, to understand that it is a major ally.

"Our products reduce farmers' dependence on synthetic fertilizers. You have seen how on the areas under crops and in greenhouses you can grow a great harvest, using natural biofertilizers, which contain live microorganisms, useful bacteria, in fact, part of the soil itself. Taking care of the environment, you can return the fertility of the soil and get a healthy and good harvest, "- said Henri Oosthoek, closing the event.

The issue of switching to sustainable fertilizers and reducing chemistry is very pressing for Kazakhstan right now. Huge areas of the country's farmland have lost their fertility, are depleted and need to be restored, according to experts. In this regard, the arrival on the market of natural-based fertilizers can help the agricultural sector to solve two problems simultaneously - to reduce the consumption of chemicals and restore the lost natural balance in the soil.