İGSAS Transforms into Agricultural Company with New Investments

Planning to increase its fertilizer production capacity with the newly received incentive certificate, İGSAŞ is taking steps to transform into an agricultural company with new investments in the fields of grain trade, investment preparation in the feed sector, and R&D and vertical farming.

İGSAS General Manager İlkay Ünal stated that they have been their business partner since the project phase of the Istanbul Closed Vertical Agriculture Application and R&D Center and that although fertilizers are not used in vertical agriculture, it is part of their sustainable agriculture vision that they lead in this field as well. It is also the sole producer of urea fertilizer. On the one hand, we increase our fertilizer capacity and variety to be used in soil agriculture, and on the other hand, we are taking steps to transform İGSAŞ into an agricultural company. In this direction, we have established 444 lines and we are also building a new app.”

Noting that they are one of the leading manufacturers of fertilizers in Turkey, Ünal stated that they are a partner of the indoor vertical agriculture project that will transform the indoor and idle spaces in cities into vegetable gardens, adding that they are involved in agriculture, especially in big cities, under the ground, without sunlight, pesticides and soil. He said they were leading the way.

Stating that İGSAS started grain trade in 2022, is working to establish an organomineral fertilizer facility in Samsun, and is preparing for a new investment in the feed sector, Ünal said, “Vertical agriculture is also a part of our vision. Currently, we do not have any activity as a producer in this field, but we have become the project partner of the vertical agriculture work that will ensure the sustainability of agriculture in our country, reduce foreign dependency, reduce costs and increase productivity. Stating that the food products needed by metropolitan cities such as Istanbul are brought from distances of hundreds of kilometers, this creates a serious cost, Ünal continued as follows: “The lettuce produced in the production facility in Kağıthane can take its place in the greengrocer in Beşiktaş before lunch. It leads urban agriculture by expanding production areas in city centers and minimizing product losses in the logistics process.”

In December, Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Prof. Dr. The production center in Kağıthane, opened by Vahit Kirişçi, was established on the minus eighth floor of the municipal parking garage. Agricultural products are grown at a depth of 30 meters and in a sunless area with only LED lights and research studies are carried out. On the other hand, the center has the distinction of being the second deepest project in the world, where indoor agriculture is practiced at 30 meters. The total plant production in 3 units is equivalent to approximately 20 decares of production in the field.

Pointing out that they have received an investment of 9 billion 413 million liras for the second urea production factory to be built in Kocaeli with the incentive of Project Based State Aid, Ünal said, “This way, our urea production capacity will increase from 560 thousand tons to 1.2 million tons. Our investment in Samsun is 200 thousand tons, our total capacity will increase to 2 million tons with our 350 thousand tons of life fertilizer production facility in Kütahya, our 250 thousand tons of composite plant and 50 thousand tons of potassium nitrate . The installation capacity in Turkey will be one-fourth of 8 million tons,” he said.