Svein Tore Holsether (Svein Tore Holsether), president and CEO of YARA International (YARA), said during a conversation with Sina Finance a few days ago that population growth and climate change will make mineral fertilizers more important in the next few years. As a major fertilizer consumer, China is also a global leader in renewable energy and green technology, and will play a critical role in achieving the green transformation of agriculture.
Established in 1905 and headquartered in Oslo, Norway, Yaran Group is a global crop nutrition solutions company. During this visit to China, Haus Stu witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding on strategic cooperation between Yaran and Tianhe Co., Ltd., and the two sides will strengthen cooperation in digital agriculture and sustainable development. In addition, Haustu also had in-depth exchanges with Tianhe Co., Ltd., Syngenta China, and Huiduoli Agricultural Materials. These leading agricultural technology companies will strengthen cooperation in the fields of digital agriculture, climate change, regenerative agriculture, and farmers' prosperity.
According to Hoestu, the most important invention in Norwegian history was the use of waterfalls to generate electricity to extract nitrogen from the air. Christian Beckren, the founder of Yaran, also discovered how to extract nitrogen from the air, making nitrogen fertilizer production possible, and became a solution to the growing famine problem in Europe at the time. Today, Yaran has grown into a global crop nutrition solutions company.
“The advent of mineral fertilizers has greatly increased global food production and provided food for billions of people,” said Hostu. Mineral fertilizers play a critical role in the development of global civilization, yet they are also often overlooked.”
Later, in 1913, Ya Ran delivered the first batch of calcium nitrate to China. Hao Stu said that Ya Ran continues to play an active role in supporting the high-quality development of agriculture in China. They have just completed the world's second water-soluble fertilizer plant in Anhui, China. This is also Yaran's first water-soluble fertilizer plant in Asia and Africa. The new plant contributes to the sustainability of China's food value chain, the green transformation of agriculture, and the prosperity of farmers.
Regarding agricultural emission reduction issues that have been frequently mentioned recently, Haustu confessed to Sina Finance that as a global crop nutrition solutions company, the company's business does have a certain impact on the planet and the use of resources.
According to statistics, agriculture accounts for nearly 1/3 of global greenhouse gas emissions. This includes the production and use of fertilizers. Therefore, at present, Ya Ran is also continuously incorporating low-carbon fertilizer technology and products, digital solutions, and expertise in crop nutrition and soil health into China's agricultural carbon reduction and agricultural green transformation.
To this end, the company has set Scope 1, Scope 2, and Scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions targets to ensure that the company's climate goals are in line with the Paris Agreement commitments. Ya Ran's goal is to achieve climate neutrality by 2050.
Ya Ran's “carbon reduction” action involves all aspects of the industrial chain. For example, as the world's second-largest ammonia producer, Yaran has the world's largest ammonia export and trade network and infrastructure. They are using this advantage to take a leading position in the field of low ammonia emissions. Meanwhile, low-emission ammonia is produced using renewable energy or carbon capture and storage technology. This can provide fertilizer with a lower carbon footprint for the food industry, while ensuring a low-emission fuel for the shipping industry.
As an example, Ya Ran China is collaborating with multinational food companies to carry out an agricultural demonstration project in Shandong Province aimed at reducing Scope 3 (Class I greenhouse gas, GHG) emissions. On the premise of reducing the use of agrochemicals by 30% or more, crop yield can be increased by more than 6%, and greenhouse gas emissions can be reduced by more than 35%.
“This means farmers will get a higher return on investment and will also be able to sign stable procurement contracts with multinational companies.” Hostu commented.
On the topic of “climate-friendly fertilizer,” Hostu said the company had successfully produced the first ton of renewable ammonia and delivered the first batch of low-carbon fertilizer produced through water electrolysis and renewable energy to Europe.
Meanwhile, in terms of the Yara Group's attempt to reduce emissions at the international level, Yara established and operated a renewable hydrogen demonstration plant at its ammonia production base in Porsgrunn, Norway last year. The 24MW electrolyzer plant will ensure an annual production capacity of about 20,000 tons of renewable ammonia. Compared with the existing ammonia production plant, it will reduce carbon dioxide greenhouse gas emissions by 41,000 tons per year. Afterwards, in March of this year, Yaran signed a long-term ammonia supply agreement with Acme to reduce CO2 emissions. The long-term offtake agreement covers the annual supply of 10,000 tons of renewable ammonia and will reduce global greenhouse gas emissions by 5 million carbon dioxide equivalent.
“As a major fertilizer consumer, China is also a global leader in renewable energy and green technology, and plays a critical role in achieving the green transformation of agriculture.” Khao Stu told Sina Finance. (Hao Qian from Geneva)