Charlton Kwan did not grow up as an avid advocate of the green movement. Coming from the construction supplies business, the young entrepreneur admits he has never been a particularly environmentally conscious person - not really knowing where his food comes from, how it is produced nor what actually goes into its making. It may come as a real surprise, then, that he is now venturing into the organic fertiliser business, especially if he is doing so for reasons that are beyond commercial profit.
‘I decided to go into this organic fertiliser business not just because I see that there is a trend (toward a market demand for organic products), but because there’s a real societal need for it. Over time, I have come to realise that everything we drink and eat goes directly into our bodies. I’ve found that every person has a choice – we can take something full of bad ingredients, or go for something healthier. Personally, I would rather go for the latter,’ he remarks firmly.
The problem with conventional chemical fertilisers, he explains, is that it makes the soil acidic over many harvest seasons. When the soil’s acidity increases, it takes a heavy toll on the crops, because they do not grow as well. Over time, farmers may eventually see diminishing crop returns due to a diminishing amount of arable land. In addition to this, the chemical that goes into the soil might go into and pollute the water table, which supplies drinking water for human beings.
Through this new venture, Mr Kwan also believes that Agri Solutions is doing a great service to the countries he offers his products in, because it gives these countries greater food security and self-sufficiency.
‘We can’t run away from the fact of the food security issue that the world is facing. We know for years that Africa hasn’t had enough to eat, but now I think the problem is definitely coming closer to home. If you look at the reports for paddy fields in India and Indonesia, for example, you will see that they are diminishing. Since food security translates to political stability, so again, this product is not just about making your fruits bigger or rice taste better. There’s definitely more to it than that.’
The opportunity presented itself to Mr Kwan in 2009 from what began as a casual conversation with a friend. Mr Kwan became interested and persuaded, and he eventually made a major directional change in his career path.
‘The shift was a very big one for me. (The business of organic fertilisers) is totally unrelated to my previous field of construction, so I had to learn everything from scratch,’ he further explains. ‘But I don’t regret making the change – not at all.’
As a result, Mr Kwan, backed by his father, began trial tests in 2009. When these trials proved to be successful, Mr Kwan started his company, called Agri Solutions, with the backing of his father. Agri Solutions’ fertiliser product, which is symbolised by the tree of life logo, claims to benefit farmers in four ways.
Its product – Mr Kwan says the company prefers to call it organic essence instead of fertiliser – acts not only as a fertiliser that helps plants grow, but also simultaneously as a pesticide, kills common plant viruses and diseases, and helps revitalise the soil to become arable once again.
These functions promise great benefits to farmers. Beyond giving more returns through bigger harvests, it also promises faster returns through a shorter harvest time. But most of all, the product is environmentally sustainable because it preserves the arability of the soil and yields more for each plot of land.
Agri Solutions has products that cater to both the commercial and the retail markets. In addition to supplying fertilisers for farmers, Agri Solutions also produces fertilisers for household plants, selling these products through conventional channels such as flower shops, as well as unconventional channels such as hair salons.
At this early stage, Agri Solutions does not yet know how many farmers use its product, nor how much of its product is actually being used. Instead, the company is continuing to conduct trial tests to increase awareness of the product among farmers and fertiliser sellers – an important and foundational step to boost the product’s sales in the future.
These trial tests call for patience since they are often long in duration, having to follow the seasonal growth of crops. Mr Kwan explains that crops like corn and paddy, for example, take approximately 100 days to test. In between, this trial process is riddled with uncertainties such as the weather, which may prolong the trial period. Agri Solutions’ venture in Malaysia, for example, is temporarily suspended because of the continued rain in the country.
Despite the many benefits of his fertiliser, Mr Kwan says that the biggest obstacle his company faces is convincing the farmers themselves, who are usually reluctant to switch to a new product. ‘They must see it with their own eyes to believe,’ Mr Kwan remarks. That is why the trial and development stage takes a lot of patience.
Although his fertiliser product is yet to be widely embraced, Mr Kwan seems to believe that the greatest personal benefit he can offer to potential buyers is trust. ‘If you use this product, you can at least ensure that your product is free from chemicals and that you don’t contribute to pollution,’ he explains. ‘Many products that claim to be organic may not be so, but at least I know ours is. I can personally guarantee that.’
This, he believes, is what distinguishes his company from the rest. ‘It would be wrong to claim that I am the only company that produces organic fertilisers. I think we have many competitors. But (judging) from the (fertilisers) that we bought locally and overseas, I think they may not be as organic as these companies claim,’ Mr Kwan remarks. ‘And as an added benefit, our fertiliser smells nice too,’ Mr Kwan jokes. ‘Others often smell very pungent.’
On top of this, Mr Kwan’s secret weapon for success is his being very hands-on with the company. Flipping through his slides containing pictures of his trial tests, Mr Kwan tells how he travels out of Singapore very often to meet the buyers himself.
‘I am always at the farm to guide the farmers on how to use our product. We have test fields in China, Hong Kong, Macau, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, and very soon to be, Thailand,’ Mr Kwan says. Through direct individual contact, Mr Kwan aims to eventually distribute his product to a large number of farmers. ‘We try the product with one farmer and when it’s good they will give it to their other buddies to try.’
‘We’re dressed up for you today,’ he jokes during the interview as he points to his collar, ‘but very often we’re out in the paddy fields ourselves; when we are out, we definitely do not look like this.’
As an extension to their business endeavours, Agri Solutions has also embarked on a new green alliance with Ground-Up Initiative (GUI). GUI’s mission is to get urbanites to reconnect with the land through farming, from which participants might understand their food source and other environmental issues.
‘GUI has been approached by other companies with similar product lines, (but) the main difference of Agri Solutions to us compared to others is their sincerity and ability to translate whatever’s been planned into fruition,’ remarks GUI’s founder Tay Lai Hock, who is passionate about the art of sustainable living and bringing the kampung spirit back to the lives of urbanites.
At this moment, GUI and Agri Solutions have not yet developed any concrete programmes together. However, both sides say they are committed to developing a closer alliance in the foreseeable future.
