A SECOND LIFE FOR "DEAD SOIL"

Alibala Alizada was born in Baku in 1943. A candidate of technical sciences, in 2004 for the first time in Azerbaijan he suggested that organic fertilizer could be obtained on the basis of biohumus and biomax and it could be produced on a mass scale using state-of-the-art technology.

Alibala Alizada has represented Azerbaijan on more than one occasion at various events abroad and has over time helped develop cooperation with many countries.

Today, when huge amounts of money and efforts are being spent on solving the global problem of food supply virtually all over the world, fruits and vegetables grown with the help of chemical fertilizers and genetically-modified products have already become the norm for people in many countries. However, it is no secret that the extent of detrimental effect on the human organism of such a type of food has not been fully determined. But you don't even need experts to convince oneself of its vapidity and futility.

And so in today's world the expression "ecologically pure product" is seen virtually as a delicacy, specialized shops or departments are even being opened in supermarkets where such produce is sold, and although it costs several times more, the level of demand is much higher than for "artificial" food.

In this context it may be said that Azerbaijan has been extremely fortunate - at the moment we have all the conditions we need to produce ecologically pure products: a good climate, bountiful soil and biological fertilizers. The state has expressed its will by backing a programme to provide the population in the Azerbaijani Republic with food products in 2008-2015, endorsed by President Ilham Aliyev's instruction of 25 August 2008. And there are companies who are prepared not only to use existing opportunities but also to introduce new technologies in order to develop the country's huge agricultural potential.

In this sense the AqriBioEkoTex company, which produces not only varieties of tomatoes and cucumbers which are very well known in the market, but also new biotechnological products which are also new to our region such as biohumus and biomax, is a vivid example of successful development in conditions of a favourable investment climate and support from state-owned structures.

The miraculous biohumus

Man has always been helped by the natural biological cycle for all seasons. He has not had to find out how or where water is produced, or how the soil is fertilized - all these questions have already been decided for him to his best advantage. However, technological progress, which has interrupted this harmony, in many spheres, including the food industry, has brought extremely negative consequences. Chemical fertilizers, which at first seemed to be of such help to farmers in obtaining a good harvest, have eventually led to all kinds of problems with the health of those who consume these products.

And so, after travelling a long path of trial and error, mankind realized that there was nothing better than natural substances - hence the preference for ecological produce made from soil fertilized by biologically pure substances. Among these biohumus, a humus organic fertilizer and a basic product of the processing of manure and compost with the help of technological earthworms, has become particularly popular in the world. Biohumus, applied to the soil, gives it a more granulated structure, enabling dissoluble (resilient) nutritive substances to be retained in the immediate vicinity of the plants' root system. This soil structure also prevents nutritive substances from being washed away into the lower strata of the earth. As a consequence of this a large amount of nutritive substances in the biohumus is used for its intended purpose and considerably less of it is required than of manure or mulch per unit of area.

Also important is the fact that the use of biohumus allows fertility to be improved and increases resistance to wind and water erosion. The application of biohumus reduces the number of nitrates in vegetables 7-10 times, increases yield and raises the resistance of plants to disease and pests (strengthens immunity), the palatability traits of vegetables and fruits improve considerably and their storage life is increased.

Furthermore, with the application of biohumus the induced activity of other chemical fertilizers is reduced by approximately ten times. In other words, as well as directly fertilizing the soil, it possesses the ability to purify it! This is precisely what the soils of Azerbaijan, which for years have been polluted by chemical fertilizers and pesticides, which have even given certain soils the status of "dead soils", need today.

Therefore, the emergence of biohumus in Azerbaijan could be described as the saviour of farming, and not just in the Absheron region. According to Alibala Alizada, the president of AqriBioEkoTex, which for the first time organized the production of biohumus in our country, its miraculous properties have been demonstrated in many regions of the country. The results have been staggering. "I have been in agriculture for 15 years, but after what I have seen I must admit I have never come across anything like it before," one farmer said.

Such companies as BakFem, Azersun Holding and Haji Jamalkhan are working actively with our company. The country's leading agricultural companies are working towards the future. The managers of these firms have visited our experimental base and studied its output and they have purchased over 4,000 tonnes of our fertilizer to improve the fertility of soils in Bilasuvar, Kurdamir, Imisli, Salyan and Xacmaz districts. Today, Azersun Holding and Haji Jamalkhan are also showing considerable interest in the production of organic fertilizer. In this connection a plant for the processing of agricultural waste using state-of-the-art equipment has already been designed by us and Azersun Holding. At the same time, it should be pointed out that these companies will in the future be processing organic raw material, and cattle manure not with the aid of Californian red worms (the technology of vermiculture), but by means of fast fermentation using special microbial agents. As far as our company is concerned, the organic raw material processed here by the fast fermentation method is then processed by Californian red worms, enabling microbiological fertilizers to be 8-10 times more effective.

Biologists say that biohumus may be used everywhere: from fields and vegetable gardens to house plants. If 200-250g of biohumus are applied to each shoot a perennial harvest may be achieved. The unique properties of biohumus were again demonstrated during a recent experiment by scientists who planted tomatoes on bare rocks. "Although the rocks were quite unsuitable for plants we were able to prove that a result was possible even here," Alizadeh noted, adding that biohumus is particularly useful on Absheron soils because of its saltiness and lack of water.

Only the beginning

AqriBioEkoTex is the first company in Azerbaijan to carry out biotechnological production at an industrial level. For the first time in the practice of vegetable growing under glass (in greenhouses) in industrial volumes AqriBioEkoTex has introduced the technology of pure fertile soil and drip irrigation, which had never before been used in Azerbaijan. As well as this the company offers farmers and growers other agents obtained from biohumus - biomax, antibacterial-bio and antinematode-bio. They also have a positive effect on plant growth. For example, biomax, which is an extract from the products of the activity of worms and soil micro-organisms, can increase the germination capacity of seeds, assist the rapid rooting of cuttings, increase the immunity of plants to various diseases and reduce nitrate concentration. Both root and foliar fertilizer may be applied. 

On the whole biomax enhances the yield of agricultural crops from 30 per cent and more (depending on soil fertility) and the quality of output is considerably improved. At the same time, 40-60 per cent less mineral fertilizer and 35-45 per cent less pesticide is used. The application of this agent not only helps to increase gross production and improve the quality of output, but also reduces its costs, something that is particularly important in the conditions of a market economy.

Undoubtedly, the effectiveness, and, most importantly, the practicality of the output produced at AqriBioEkoTex for the food industry is a basis for broad trading potential which, with as farmers become more aware of these fertilizers, will increase even more. This is what AqriBioEkoTex's president, Alibala Alizadeh, said in an interview for Region:

- What is the company's export potential and does it have the necessary quality certificates?

- The company's export potential is quite broad and our product is quite well-known throughout the world. Moreover, it has been given a certificate in line with European standards, the so-called IMO (Institute for Market Ecology) for full-fledged access for exports. We also have patents issued by the Azerbaijan State Agency for Metrology, Standardization and Patents. We are working towards informing potential buyers in the world about our company and its products. For example, since 2006 our company has participated in a number of international bio-exhibitions in Dubai, Nuremberg and Italy. At the moment we are planning for exhibitions in Saudi Arabia and Turkey.

- Do people need to be educated about biohumus and how informed are farmers about its benefits?

- Of course, everything starts with information. Our company maintains close links with the Institute of Soil Science and Agrochemistry of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences and with the Ganca Agricultural Academy. Moreover, following an invitation from the Agricultural Information Centre, which is in Agcabadi District, I have been giving lectures to farmers on various questions of the application of bio-fertilizers for three years now. But I am convinced that this work needs to start in the schools, in other words a course on the study of this subject should be included in the Biology curriculum. It would be good to start training staff willingly and to pass on our knowledge and experience to them. I would like to point out that in this context work has been started at the I.Afandiyev Elite College, where I held a meeting with students about the benefits of biological fertilizers, and afterwards a tour of our company was arranged. Let me tell you the students were delighted at what they saw here and that could mean that some of them will want in the future to study in depth the growing of economically pure production.

For our part we should also point out that literally the other day Alibala Alizada visited Turkey at the invitation of a well-known Turkish company. The purpose of the visit was to help to organize a company for the processing of organic agricultural waste and to obtain organic fertilizer with a production capacity of 40,000 tonnes annually. The Turkish company is planning to purchase from AqriBioEkoTex useful bacteria for the fermentation of organic fertilizers. Turkish specialists have been studying questions of fermentation for over a quarter of a century, but what interests them most is the technology the Azerbaijani company is using. So today the company is able to export not only the output it produces but also to share technological knowledge.

In short, AqriBioEkoTex is the first step towards creating a strong diverse biotechnological corporation for the production of a whole range of biologically active agents and bio-products. There is no doubt that the project will be successful and effective, taking into account the huge demand for ecologically pure products. And if you bear in mind the fact that in his recent speeches Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, who has called for an increase in the volume of such output, drew attention more than once to this question, then it may be hoped that what AqriBioEkoTex has started will be given more support from interested parties and will broaden its potential even more.