Interagro cooperates with the American Nitron group on the chemical fertilizer market for agriculture

By Edwig Ban
The agro-industrial group Interagro announced on Monday that it is developing, in partnership with the American group Nitron, an investment of approximately 22 million euros for the arrangement of a mixed terminal, import and export, of fertilizers in the Danube port Zimnicea (southern Romania).
“I chose Zimnicea for this investment because it is the most modern port on the Danube, on the Romanian territory, having a vertical dock and being able to operate 12 months a year, regardless of the fluctuating level of the river. In addition, most of the assets already existed and are our property. The main market served, on import, will be Romania, and through very easy access to all three forms of transport, the goods can be taken anywhere in Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia, Hungary, including Ukraine, on the barges, ”says Ioan Niculae, president Interagro.
The terminal is already in the final phase of development, will cover 3 hectares and will have an initial capacity of 350 – 400,000 tonnes, for export, and about 150,000 tonnes, for import.
“In the time horizon 2022, we estimate an export capacity of over 1 million tonnes,” announces Interagro representatives.
The fertilizers that will be marketed through the Zimnicea terminal are of the nitrogenous type (urea, ammonium nitrate, nitrocalcar, liquid fertilizers), phosphatic / complex and potassium based.
“The Interagro investment is of association type with Nitron (which is also the main international export collaborator of Interagro), which will provide us, for imports, DAP and TSP fertilizers, of US production and Mexico (also with US technology). ”, Says the Romanian group.
A first experimental ship of 19,000 tonnes was brought in October 2019.
“The products will be brought mainly on the Danube, with the barges, after they are brought on maritime vessels to Constanţa, with direct unloading in barges (18 barges have been allocated from the group’s ownership for this terminal),” the group announces.
The terminal is already in the final phase of development, with the facilities it benefits from: three large warehouses (up to 12-14,000 tons each, completely closed) with access to all three transport systems (car, rail and naval / barges with possibilities for rapid unloading or loading (200 tonnes per hour download, 250 tonnes bulk loading); two double-acting, loading / unloading docks; two 16-ton crane cranes and is in the phase of modernization / digital control system ; poles and strip of strips, both for unloading and loading at the river / Danube; electronic download and weighing station CF.
“We are in advanced negotiations for the import of packaging machines from small bags of 50 kg to bags of 1,000 kg, with automatic loading in trucks and wagons,” adds representatives Interagro.
The entire terminal will be operated from a single automated control center.
Interagro announces that the production in the fertilizer factories in Romania is being carried out according to the following graph.
“Chemgas Slobozia works and will operate throughout the year 2020. Donau Chem Turnu Măgurele is ready to start, with all the revisions made and will start in a few days. Ga Pro Co Chemicals Piatra Neamt is expected to be restarted within a maximum of 2 months after the reviews are completed. Amurco Bacău – depending on the completion and delivery of two machines ordered from abroad, we expect to start production in July 2020. Nitroporos Făgăraş – being a substantial and long-term investment, we anticipate restarting the installation of ammonia and the factories of nitric acid and nitrogen nitrate fertilizer and porous / technical, in the quarter 1 2021 “, Interagro data shows.
Separately, the Viromet Victoria methanol plant will restart in early March 2020.
Interagro is one of Romania’s largest integrated agro-industrial actors, operating six fertilizer factories and over 40,000 ha of agricultural land. He also owns and operates agricultural product processing plants and constantly invests in tourism and sports.
Nitron Group is among the largest international fertilizers traders, with an annual trade volume of over 6.5 million tonnes, revenues of over $ 2 billion and presence on 5 continents.