Summit Agro – 20 years on the Bulgarian market

If you do the right thing and then do it again, the only thing that can happen is that you keep moving forward!

The anniversary of the company, one of the emblematic commercial structures in our agribusiness, was marked with an elegant celebration at the prestigious Grand Hotel “Plovdiv” in the city under the hills.

The event was honored by the company’s commercial partners – distributors and suppliers. Special participation in the celebration of the round anniversary was taken by Mr. Tomoaki Tetsu, President of Sumy Agro Europe, whose subsidiary in Bulgaria is Summit Agro. Present were representatives of the Japanese agrochemical companies Sumitomo Chemical and the Indian Sharda, part of the key suppliers of Summit Agro of plant protection products for the Bulgarian market, as well as colleagues from the companies of Sumy Agro Europe in Hungary, Slovakia and Ukraine. Guests at the celebration included Prof. Hristina Yancheva, Rector of the Agricultural University in Plovdiv, Prof. Vili Harizanova, Dean of the Faculty of Plant Protection and Agroecology, their colleagues, lecturers and researchers from the Agricultural University in Plovdiv, the University of Forestry in Sofia, and the Fruit-Growing Institute in Plovdiv.

During the business part of the large-scale forum, Mr. Tetsu acquainted those present with some details about the extensive business of the Japanese conglomerate Sumitomo Corporation, of which Sumy Agro Europe is a part. Today, Sumy Agro Europe, together with its partner – the Italian company Sipcam, is actively present in 90% of the markets for pesticides, fertilizers and seeds in Europe. In 2017 Sumy Agro Europe acquired the leading Spanish company Futureco, a manufacturer of biological pesticides and biostimulants. This segment is characterized by an upward trend, and all indicators concur that the deal is profitable for the Japanese company – a far-sighted move with a broad horizon.

The thematic presentation report of Assoc. Prof. Miroslav Tityanov, General Manager of Summit Agro in Bulgaria, was followed with great professional interest. He presented to the partner audience the commercial portfolio of plant protection products that the company will position on the domestic market in 2019.

It is noteworthy that Summit Agro’s tradition over the past 7 years to build up at a high pace and with high quality has once again been upheld. Moreover, Assoc. Prof. Tityanov reported that in 2019 the pesticide portfolio includes 17 new products – 7 herbicides, 7 insecticides and 3 fungicides. This year the company will market 5 wheat seed varieties for sowing, produced by the French breeding house Momont, owned by the well-known seed company KWS.

The creative commercial approach in the fertilizer segment was analyzed by Ivan Mihov, Product Manager Seeds and Fertilizers. Six years ago, Summit Agro made a technological breakthrough in an extremely sensitive field. This concerns the introduction into common practice in our country of microgranulated fertilizers and the technologies for their application. Today, Summit Agro is an indispensable factor on this topic in Bulgarian agriculture – it sets the agenda and leads convincingly ahead of all competitors. In his address, Mr. Mihov informed the interested attendees at the meeting about the innovations and current details regarding the liquid phosphorus fertilizers offered by the company. In turn, the special fertilizers in the Summit Agro portfolio, containing various microelements, are intended to overcome different nutritional deficiencies. One of the hits of the Japanese company for our market is Sazolen SC/Efficient. The balanced ratio of urea/methylene urea implements the long-dreamed-of option both for increasing the leaf mass of various agricultural crops and for sharply improving the quality indicators of future harvests. The product can be applied both foliarly and to the soil. Rapid action is guaranteed. Its competitive price is another advantage.

Evgeniya Velinova, Marketing Manager of Summit Agro, presented to the professional audience the anti-stress products from the Seipro line, produced by Futureco, whose introduction in our country started two years ago. Kaishi and Shigeki are already well known to the wider professional community. This year will see the premiere of two more products from the line – Kinaction Initial and Kinaction Fruit.

The successful performance of Summit Agro on the Bulgarian market is guaranteed for the coming years as well, assured Assoc. Prof. Tityanov. The corporate commercial project has a very strong charge, authenticity and competitiveness. It is a tool for managing risks and yields. It generates growth and added value, ensuring reliable profit in the production of agricultural output in Bulgaria.

Details about the festive celebration of Summit Agro’s anniversary will be published in “Plant Protection” magazine, issue 1/2019.