Mulgrave MP Daniel Andrews (left) with Ultimate Fertilisers director Graham Strachan, both holding the worldfirst liquid gypsum that will benefit cotton growers and agriculturalists worldwide.By Shaun Inguanzo
THE Noble Park developer of worldfirst liquid fertilisers is eyeing an export market in the United States to capitalise on its products.
The State Government has pitched in with a First Step Exporter Grant, announced by Mulgrave MP Daniel Andrews this week.
Ultimate Fertilisers in Noble Park received $3700 to help prepare a report to present at an American cotton growers’ conference, and also for the forthcoming World Ag Expo in California.
The company has developed a worldfirst liquid form of gypsum, a popular powder fertiliser used by cotton growers, but often harmful to skin and prone to blowing in the wind.
Ultimate Fertilisers director Graham Strachan said the worldfirst patented fertiliser had received an extraordinary amount of interest from distributors in the US, where the cottongrowing market was eight times larger than in Australia.
“By using our product manufactured by micronised gypsum means they can use a finer grade of gypsum without the problems associated with handling the dusty product,” he said. “When they put cotton seeds in soil they can apply liquid gypsum and improve the soil conditions where required.”
But Mr Strachan said the Australian market remained its strongest at the moment, and grape growers as well as cotton growers were discovering the liquid fertiliser’s benefits.
He said the blanket approach of laying powder was inferior to the liquid method of distribution.
“The example I use with liquid gypsum is that you can put it through drip lines at each vine to put the product through, and improve soil conditions,” he said.
The company is now looking to expand into nonagricultural markets, and has developed a liquid lime, which Mr Strachan said could be useful in water treatment.
“Hydrated lime is quite a costly lime product used to treat sewerage and water,” he said. “It’s nasty to handle as a powder but we have been able to devise a formulation that keeps as a stable liquid.
“It will have benefits for local councils in terms of Occupational Health and Safety issues.”
Mr Andrews said the First Step Exporter grant was a boost for businesses that were looking to take their first step towards entering the export market.
He said Ultimate Fertilisers would be able to showcase its fertiliser products to a large audience in a short amount of time by attending the conferences, and enable them to open new trade avenues to expand their business.
