June 1, 2022

 

Don Agro International quadruples planted acreage for organic wheat, increases sowing area for winter wheat

 

 

Singaporean agricultural company Don Agro International Limited and its subsidiaries announced that it continues to implement its environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) strategy by planting organic crops and applying eco-friendly innovative technologies.

 

The group has begun growing organic wheat in 2020 as part of its ESG goal to produce a more environmentally-friendly crop. An area of 11.0 hectares was allocated for the pilot project for organic wheat cultivation which was concluded successfully.

 

This year, Don Agro will harvest organic crops from 44.0 hectares of land which is four times the planted area from before. Organic wheat is a growing niche as 1.6% of the world’s farmland is organic with a 4.1% growth in farmland since 2019. This reflects a budding yet rising shift to organic planting, Don Agro said.

 

"We are satisfied with the yields of organic wheat that we harvested last year and we will continue to explore the growth potential of organic wheat," said chief agronomist Ivan Kalaytanov. "In accordance with the requirements for certified organic produce, we do not apply mineral fertilisers, herbicides and pesticides to the land. The growth of weeds is controlled by harrowing which involves the physical uprooting of weeds.

 

"In two years, we will be able to obtain an official organic certification of our wheat as per the existing rules and regulations of the relevant governing authorities."

 

The group also increased the acreage for winter wheat from 24,032 hectares to 25,157 hectares to accommodate the world’s rising demand for grain.

 

Don Agro expects a new all-time high harvest in 2022 with the larger planted area and the trend in growing yields. In 2021, the group harvested 72,300 tonnes of winter wheat which is an 11.3% improvement over 2020.

 

In FY2021, Don Agro recorded an all-time high of S$10.3 million (US$7.5 million) net profit demonstrating the growth in crop production and yield. In 2021, a significant part of the year’s harvest was sold at the beginning of 2022 when the wheat prices had touched a 14-year peak.

 

Hence, the company expects to perform well in the financial year ending December 31, 2022, in line with rising wheat prices and higher crop yield.

 

In addition, the group continues the implementation of its ESG strategy through the plans to install a solar power plant with a total capacity of 30kW on its territory this year. A plantation of 78 panels will produce more than 37MWh per year based on the available sunlight hours. This clean energy source will help reduce the group's carbon footprint by decreasing the reliance on gas sources with higher carbon emissions.

 

The group also increased the area for no-till farming from 7,200 hectares to 7,600 hectares this year as part of its ESG strategy. Zero tillage is done on the soil, reducing soil disturbance and increasing the amount of water that infiltrates into the soil. The soil also retains organic matter and nutrients, thereby improving the soil’s fertility.

 

No-till farming also reduces the use of labour, machinery and fuel as tillage is not required.

 

- Don Agro