The UK’s Mole Valley Farmers has inked a long-term agreement with fertilizer importer, manufacturer, and distributor Thomas Bell & Sons Ltd., which will see the South Molten, Devon-based farmers cooperative store and process product on behalf of Thomas Bell, the UK’s largest farming news portal Agriland reported.
According to Mole Valley Farmers, the agreement will allow it to purchase larger cargoes of raw materials, bringing significant cost savings and security of supply to its farmer shareholders. The cooperative’s fertilizer plant in Newport on the Isle of Wight is the only farmer-owned blending facility in the UK.
Mole Valley Farmers is also investing more than £600,000 (approximately $728.4 million at current exchange rates) in additional storage facilities at its Newport blending plant, which will increase capacity to 30,000 mt when complete.
The new partnership, along with an agreement in principle with Association British Ports, means the site will be capable of supplying more than 150,000 mt of fertilizer per year, according to the report.