A viral video has perfectly summed up a “terrifying” crisis facing the nation within weeks.
In recent days, the urea shortage plaguing Australia and the world has made headline after headline as it threatens to pull tens of thousands of trucks and private vehicles off the road and cause countless everyday items to disappear from supermarket shelves.
Not only is urea used in fertiliser, it is also a key ingredient in diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) – also known as AdBlue – which is injected into the exhaust systems of modern diesel vehicles in order to reduce emissions, which is a mandatory requirement for trucks, private vehicles and tractors.
The shortage is expected to peak by February, and could devastate our agriculture and transport industries, along with countless other sectors.
But while the problem is a complex one, an Aussie farmer has explained exactly why we should all be concerned.
Under the popular TikTok account FNQBeersBullsBoars, Queensland cattle farmer Matt Ferguson-Tait began by explaining that urea was essential in his industry, as it was used as a protein for cattle.
https://www.news.com.au/finance/business/other-industries/aussie-farmer-explains-terrifying-urea-crisis-in-viral-tiktok-video/news-story/d1ef340f03ba20a69fa908bddfdcf056
So, who are the Israeli companies in the liquid gold game that Australia can look to for inspiration and support?
GROUNDWORK BIOAG LTD
Groundwork BioAg produces mycorrhizal inoculants for commercial farming. Containing concentrated and vigorous beneficial fungi, the company’s Rootella and Dynomyco inoculants can improve soil nutrient uptake in plants, increase crop yields, improve resistance to several types of stress, and reduce fertilizer requirements. Groundwork BioAg has demonstrated significant yield increases in numerous major crops, including corn, soybeans, sorghum, tomatoes, onions, and cannabis.
HOMEBIOGAS LTD
HomeBiogas produces small-scale, off-grid systems that convert organic waste, including food waste, animal manure, and human waste, into clean, renewable energy and natural fertilizer.
HomeBiogas systems offer functional and monetary value to households and small farmers while also having a positive impact on the environment. The systems provide health, sanitation, and clean energy solution for billions of people who have resorted to using firewood and charcoal to meet their cooking needs.
HomeBiogas has partnered and completed projects with many governments and international organizations, including the United Nations, Red Cross, World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), and SNV Netherlands Development Organization.
Haifa Group
Haifa Group supplies specialty plant nutrients and potassium nitrate for agriculture and industry.
The group’s products include the Nutrigation for precise fertilization through irrigation systems, foliar nutrition solutions for complementary and corrective nutrition, and controlled-release fertilizers for nutrient use efficiency.
Haifa Group has also developed knowledge-sharing platforms such as the Haifa NutriNet online expert system, which enables growers to access up-to-date optimized fertilization programs for their crops.
Haifa Group formally joined the UN Global Compact, adopting 17 Sustainable Development Goals principles. Haifa’s global operations span over 100 countries with 16 subsidiaries, 4 production plants, and 5 logistics terminals.
ICL GROUP LTD
ICL is a global manufacturer of products based on specialty minerals primarily in agriculture, food, and engineered materials.
ICL produces approximately a third of the world’s bromine and is the sixth-largest potash producer, as well as the leading provider of pure phosphoric acid. It is a major manufacturer of specialty fertilizers, specialty phosphates, and flame retardants. ICL’s mining and manufacturing activities are supported by global distribution and supply networks and are located in Israel, Europe, the Americas, and China.
ICL operates within a strategic framework of sustainability that includes a commitment to the environment, support of communities in which ICL’s manufacturing operations are located and where its employees live, and a commitment to all its employees, customers, suppliers, and other stakeholders.
V.G.I. (ISRAEL) AGRICULTURE PRODUCTS DEVELOPMENT LTD
VGI produces organic fertilizers from natural components that support healthy, natural plant growth. Its products reduce carbon dioxide emissions in agricultural production and help break the cycle of excess chemical use in agriculture.
VGIs product lines include the KF formulation for home gardening or agriculture, which is designed to enhance crop size, weight, colour, and yield. It is non-toxic to humans, non-polluting, and does not scorch leaves. The product can be applied through irrigation systems or as a foliar spray or soil drench. Deshen Hatzafon Established in Israel in October 2012 by 7 cooperative organizations representing 260 farming communities in Israel, that together own approximately 150,000 hectares of cultivated farmland.
The Company’s vision is to provide the farmer with the utmost agronomic knowledge to achieve the most efficient treatment for his crops.
Our products offer increased yields with reduced costs whilst at the same time being environmentally friendly by preventing soil and water contamination.
We produce bespoke solid and liquid fertilizers in a wide variety of forms, based on local soil and water type, farmers requirements and agronomists analysis, in order to provide optimal nutrition for all agricultural crops.
Our R&D department, agronomist and professional staff strive for excellence, producing the highest quality products while providing the most professional service.
The Company’s personnel, led by farmers with field experience, understand our clients’ needs and are able to adapt our services to each client.
We are constantly in search of new ways to improve and simplify agricultural work while maximizing crop yield.
GAT FERTILIZERS LTD
Gat Fertilizers produces tailor-made, fully water-soluble solid and liquid fertilizers for fertigation and basic pre-plant applications.
The company’s Gatit series of solid, fully water-soluble NPK fertilizers can be applied via irrigation systems. Its Shaphir solutions are used for fertigation in greenhouses, nurseries, orchards, and crops on artificial media. Gat also offers a line of micro-element fertilizers.
EFAL CHEMICAL INDUSTRIES LTD
Efal Agri breeds vegetable seeds and develops raw materials for applications including plant protection, field crops, cosmetics, and water treatment. The company’s product line includes soil disinfection products, pesticides, insecticides, herbicides, fertilizers and feed additives, veterinary medical products, and growth regulators.
Efal Agri is part of Efal Chemical Industries Ltd.
FUTURE-TENSE TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT & ENTREPRENEURSHIP LTD
Future Tense develops, produces, and licenses a wide range of fertilizers, pesticides, and other products that are both potent and environmentally acceptable.
Future Tense products, such as Ductil-D, Dentamet, Bio-D, and AZN, are designed to nourish, protect, and enhance crop production. The company also has several products in various stages of development, including ecological soil disinfectants and pesticides, organic chelates, and micronutrient fertilizers.
Lextran specializes in sulphur oxide (SOx) and nitrogen oxide (NOx) catalytic pollutant removal in an open-spray tower technology.
The company’s patented technology introduces a multi-pollutant removal process that requires minimal equipment, a relatively small footprint, and only liquid reagents. Its process is considerably less costly in terms of investment and operation than technologies that treat each pollutant separately. In addition, Lextran’s process yields a commercial-grade fertilizer as a byproduct.
Lextran’s technology is suitable for customers such as coal and heavy fuel-fired power plants and industrial installations, diesel power plants, solid waste-management incinerators, and any other combustion plant emitting SOx and NOx.
Lextran is a subsidiary of Ludan Engineer.
Email Sydney@israeltrade.gov.il to learn more and connect.
Israel Trade and Economic Commission in Sydney, Australia 