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Indonesian firm obtains US patent for organic fertilizer
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A farmer spreads fertilizer on paddies in Mujur village, Cilacap, Central Java. (JP/Agus Maryono)
An Indonesian fertilizer producer has obtained a patent from the United States for its coal-based fertilizer production technique.
The patent was granted by the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) on June 16 to R. Umar Hasan Saputra, an Indonesian citizen who owns Glogens Organic Micro-Carbon Fertilizer, according to the Foreign Ministry’s website.
The patent allows the business to enter the US agricultural market, which currently is one of the largest in the world. The company will also be able to expand its investment by establishing a factory in the US to supply the country and the world market.
Umar said the US patent would highlight the quality of his company’s product, which in Indonesia is marketed under the brand Futura by his company, PT Saputra Global Harvest.
He added that the fertilizer was manufactured using low-calorie coal that could be found in many countries. The fertilizer is organic, ecofriendly and can repair the condition of the soil. It is easier to produce than chemical-based fertilizers and is therefore less costly.
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Umar said his company had been developing the product for 11 years before it was adopted by farmers in Indonesia. He said the fertilizer could increase the productivity of various types of plants.
Umar said Glogens would apply for a license to sell the product in the US. The company was preparing a plot of land in California for a trial of the product on rice and a plot in Indiana for a trial on corn.
Meri Binsar Simorangkir, the Indonesian Consul General in Chicago, said on Monday that the Indonesian Consulate General in Chicago and the Indonesian Trade Promotion Center (ITPC) would help the company get certifications needed in the US. The institutions would also help to promote the brand in the US market, especially in the Midwest, the breadbasket of the US, which produces significant amounts of soybeans, corn and wheat.
“The Midwest is a potential market for Futura,” said Meri.
His company is also cooperating with the government of Zimbabwe to procure land for research and development. Umar is considering marketing his product in Africa, particularly in Kenya, Zambia, Namibia and Ghana.
The Indonesian government has expressed hope that Umar’s achievement will open other doors for the sale of coal-based fertilizer in Europe, Asia and Australia. (asp)
