Koruma Klor Alkali Achieves a First

Koruma, a 100 percent domestically-owned chemical industry company, has developed two active substances used in agriculture on a local basis. Koruma's strong technical team has succeeded in developing Benfluralin and Copper oxychloride active substances, previously entirely imported, domestically. Koruma, one of the leading companies in agrochemical production in our country and the pioneer of many firsts in this field, has completed investments in facilities for the production of these active substances and strengthened its position in the global technical raw material market. Benfluralin, classified in the herbicide group, is an active substance used in agrochemical production for controlling weeds. Very few companies worldwide can produce this active substance, which is used in sunflower and cotton cultivation—crops of strategic importance to Turkey. In 2018, Koruma submitted a research and development project application to the General Directorate of Agricultural Research and Policies (TAGEM) together with its project partner, the Agricultural Struggle Central Research Institute, to produce the Benfluralin active substance in Turkey. Following three years of intensive work by Koruma's experienced R&D team, the project reached a successful conclusion, and the Benfluralin active substance was developed domestically for the first time as planned. Copper oxychloride, classified in the fungicide group, is an active substance used to prevent fungal and bacterial diseases in vegetable and fruit cultivation. However, all copper oxychloride used as an agrochemical active substance in our country is imported. The chemicals used in copper oxychloride production are manufactured in Koruma's own production facilities. Copper oxychloride, whose technology and know-how are entirely owned by Koruma, will be produced domestically for the first time in Turkey as a 100 percent local agrochemical active substance. This production will reduce dependence on imports. Deputy Chairman of the Board of Koruma Klor Alkali San. ve Tic. A.Ş., Şükrü Kemal Aracı: "As a company that has served the agrochemical sector for many years, we have brought numerous innovations to our country. Although Turkey is an agricultural nation, the number of active substances produced domestically remains at very low levels, which is an important problem. Koruma has undertaken the mission to produce certain strategic active substances domestically. We have the capacity to do so through our technology, know-how, and qualified human resources. Through our R&D efforts, we have succeeded in producing two important active substances domestically that our farmers need. Following the banning of Trifluralin active substance in our country after the EU, our farmers producing cotton and sunflower faced serious difficulties. We take pride in successfully concluding our R&D Project aimed at finding a solution to this problem, developing and producing the Benfluralin active substance domestically, as well as our efforts to produce locally the Copper oxychloride active substance, which has significant applications in our country and is entirely imported. Now Koruma's name will be included in technical raw material production on a global scale," he said. Şükrü Kemal Aracı continued: "As in every field, in agriculture too, self-sufficiency and domestic production have strategic importance. The 100 percent domestically-produced active substances we provide to Turkish agriculture will end dependence on imported products while enabling our farmers to meet their needs with lower costs and in a faster and easier manner. We aim to increase our contribution to the national economy by also evaluating export potential."