BTU-CENTER press tour: a journey from a test tube to the soil
BTU-CENTER Company is a Ukrainian manufacturer of microbial products. During the press tour, held at the place of production located in Ladyzhin,Vinnytsia region, the company introduced journalists to the process of creating biological products. An eventful excursion program allowed us to assess the scope of the company's activities, learn about the key elements of the conditions for manufacturing microbial products, get acquainted with innovations and the achievements of a large and close-knit team of enthusiasts.
The trip to the place of production was carried out under the following slogan: «Microbial products: a journey from a test tube to the soil». BTU-CENTER is a full-cycle company that develops complex biological solutions for farmers, ranging from the selection of the most active strains of microorganisms for the development of preparations to the provision of the ready-to-use product and providing individual consultations on a topic of biologizing agricultural technologies. During the tour, guests had the opportunity to explore the evolution of biological products manufacturing and become personally convinced that there is always a place for high technologies and top requested know-hows in Ukraine.
The first step for creating microbial products was the establishment of the museum of microbial strains. "The strain museum is the foundational and the starting point of manufacturing process," – these are the words of the chief microbiologist of the BTU-CENTER, who is also known as a State Prize Winner of Ukraine in science and technology - Olha Nahorna. "We use the most active strains isolated from natural sources (soil, plants, etc.), which are proven to be harmless. We deposit the most efficient strains in the National Depository of Ukraine and store them in our strain museum.
The fundamental premise of biotechnology is the usage of nonpathogenic and effective microorganisms, as well as ensuring that their authenticity is preserved throughout the manufacturing process. This is the only way to guarantee that the chemical will be produced inclusively with the exact microorganism isolated at the beginning of the work. Therefore, at each stage of production, we monitor the purity level of the producer and observe aseptic techniques (prevention of microbiological contamination). This approach is used as a fundamental criteria for establishing a microbiological production".
After visiting sowing and production laboratories, journalists had finally entered the production halls of BTU-CENTER, manufacturing capacity of which is 10,000 tons /year.
"The production of biological products is a complex and a heavy-tech process," says Viktor Vasyliovych Bolokhovskii, the Director of BTU-CENTER. "Manufacturing lines of BTU-CENTER include a multistage system designed for water and air purification, preparation of the nutrient medium, and the temperature control. All manufacturing lines are designed according to the own engineering project of BTU-CENTER».
After visiting the production halls, guests had a chance to observe warehousing facilities of the company. All products are stored in special warehouses equipped with temperature control hardware: this way the compliance with storage conditions can definitely guarantee the quality of microbial products.
However, the European-like high productive capacity is not the only thing that BTU-CENTER can be proud of. One of the significant points that made BTU-CENTER stand out from other manufacturers of biological products was the foundation of its own scientific research center which is also known as the Institute of Applied Biotechnology. The purpose of this Institute is not only to analyze agrochemical indicators of soil samples, conduct phytopathological and entomological expertise for the company's partners, but also to develop unique formulations, solely or in partnership with another companies. As an example we can mentioned the creation of a biological fungicide to inhibit the development of white rot in the laboratories of the Institute of Applied Biotechnology and in production laboratories of BTU-CENTER. It was named SCLEROTSYD®
Valentyna Antonivna Bolokhovska (Ph.D. in Engineering Science, State Prize Winner of Ukraine in science and technology and Director for Strategy and Development of BTU CENTER) believes that science must serve for the mission of business. She considers that microbes are living organisms that require a combination of production capacity with scientific expertise for their creation. Generating microbial products is a complicated, never an easy process, at each stage of which biotechnology and scientific creativity must be combined together.
"For 21 years BTU-CENTER has been working on a problem of restoring soil fertility by means of using nutrients, providing biological methods and crop protection. During this time, we have accumulated stupendous amount of knowledge and practical experience in the field of agricultural production. Our mission statement is to speak the language of facts and research, not to recommend solutions that have not been tested by science and in practice. We are ready to share our knowledge with the market and consult everyone in each particular case, whether the subject of matter is located in the field, greenhouse or In the garden," says Vladyslav Bolokhovskii PhD, General Director of BTU-CENTER, .
Today, microbial products produced by BTU-CENTER are actively used both by small farms and large agricultural holdings like Kernel, MHP, Ukrlandfarming, Epicenter K by and many others. According to the data provided by an independent company Pro Consulting, BTU-CENTER has been the largest exporter of microbiological products for several years in a row and supplies 15 countries around the world with the products of the company, while more than other 10 countries are conducting efficiency studies. In addition, BTU-CENTER is the only Ukrainian company recognized by the International Biocontrol Manufacturers Association (Switzerland).
Zhiva Zemlia (Eng – Healthy Land) is not just a big brand name for us, first and foremost it is the way of thinking, a philosophy that our team embraces. Our mission is to biologize agriculture, reduce the use of chemical means of protection, restore soil fertility and the health of our children for the Ukrainian nation and the rest of the world" - adds Vladyslav Bolokhovskii.
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