WOMEN IN AGRICULTURE: INTERVIEW WITH VALENTYNA BOLOKHOVSKA FOR BIOAG WORLD DIGEST

In the 1990s, the Ladyzhyn factory of enzyme preparations, where my husband and I worked, went bankrupt. We had to somehow survive and feed our families. We only knew how to make biologicals, and for the last 19 years were doing that. The best life strategy is to do what you do best. Then I headed our workshop, the laboratory of microbial biopolymers, about 100 people. We started running our business and were looking for orders on our own. At that time barter was at the heart of business relations. But most importantly we gained new experience, learned to listen to the market, faced our first challenges, and looked for solutions. Therefore, in 1999, we decided to start our own business, this is how our BTU-CENTER was born.  

That is right, this is my specialty. To survive in nature, certain microbial cells synthesize natural slime and we proposed to intensity oil production with our biological products based on such bioslime. When the main oil is pumped out, some residue remains inaccessible in pores. When a mixture of water, acid, and our polymer in the form of an efficient bioslime composition is fed, it acts like a sponge, extracting the remaining oil, which can then be pumped out. Thus, each ton of this polymer provides additional production of 30-50 tons of oil.

Also, working with oil companies, we engaged in bioremediation or reanimation of soils in the places of exhausted fields. We learned how to restore soils polluted by oil spills and saline soils with the help of biologicals and our biotechnologies and worked out a lot of models. In 1.5 years, they leased the land to the customer, which was previously dead. These were our first challenges working in the agricultural industry.

 

At the stage when we had an active cooperation with the oil companies, we thought about the fact that we had only one client. It is risky. In addition, competitors began to appear and their presence always gives impetus to development. In 2007, we registered three products - AZOTOFIT, FITOCID, and LIPOSAM and entered the agricultural market. In the following year, in 2008, we worked out model biologicals and schemes with scientists from agricultural universities. 

When making business decisions, I am primarily guided by numbers. I assess risks and never invest all resources in new projects. I usually analyze errors, make calculations, and research the market and the effectiveness of the biological. To hear your intuition, you need to take your time with the question, live it, talk to trusted people, and only then make decisions.  

As I have already said, we are engaged in what we have got great experience and knowledge. We are not afraid of new products, so we are not afraid to try. I have understood who I am: I am a coordinator. Most people are executors, they should be given an exact task. My task is to monitor and especially to support. Sometimes, I write memos and systematically conduct meetings to determine control points. It does not matter how many times our employees ask me questions, the main thing is to understand the task. Setting up a task can take up to half a day.  We always give people a hand of help. It is also important to admit your mistakes because everyone makes mistakes and it is ok, we never devalue their work. I am sure people should have a sense of satisfaction in what they do at work. To women, I am generous with compliments: how beautiful you are today, what a wonderful hairstyle you have. I am who I am with all the people who surround me. 

I believe women who will delve into agriculture can bring a lot to this industry. Women are consistent, multitaskers by nature, and bring everything they have started to the end. Another thing - women are motivated, they will move mountains for the sake of the people and things they love! 

The main credo is people. No matter what the cataclysms happen, you are looking for a way to save the team. At the heart of everything are people. People are our families. First of all, we must fulfill our obligations to them. In my free time, I draw pictures and write poems, I have already published my fifth collection of poems. I love flowers, especially wildflowers and paint them mostly. My work is honest and simple, it is about me, my family, my well-being, and everything that surrounds me gives me the impetus to move on. I write when I am happy and when I have a headache. In my poems, I find recipes for overcoming tough situations. When I draw, 1 clean up my mind and soul. There is a completeness in drawing and I love it in every way. It is necessary to do what you want, not only what is necessary. You do not have to be strong all the time. You need to be sincere with yourself and enjoy your life!