K&S : Establishment of the International Magnesium Institute

9 September 2016

Research cooperation in China

On September 5, 2016, K+S KALI GmbH signed an agreement with Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University (FAFU) to jointly establish the International Magnesium Institute (IMI) with its headquarters in Fu Zhou/China. The cooperation will involve the development of scientific know-how for application of the plant nutrient magnesium in agriculture in Asia. By means of joint research projects, new products will be developed and improved application recommendations worked out for fertilizers containing magnesium. K+S KALI GmbH will contribute its extensive know-how on magnesium, while FAFU will make the university structure and research facilities available on site.

'In China and in other countries in Asia and Africa, awareness of magnesium fertilizer use is not yet sufficiently anchored in agricultural practice', said Professor Andreas Gransee, head of Research & Advisory at K+S KALI GmbH, who will be directing the institute on the part of the Company. 'A nitrogen focused fertilizer use often occurs there, because the potential of other nutrients like potassium or magnesium for plant yields is underestimated. While the effects of potassium are almost explored, the role of magnesium has so far been playing a subordinate part. With balanced and needs-based fertilizer use taking magnesium into account, Chinese agriculture can achieve higher yields and qualities, and can improve soil fertility. This is particularly true of the southern part of China, in which the low magnesium content in the bedrock of the soil and magnesium removal with harvested crops have led to considerable nutrient deficiencies'. Apart from Asia, Africa too will be a focal point of the planned research activities with the magnesium nutrient.

For its magnesium fertilizers product portfolio, K+S KALI GmbH sees a high sales potential in China. This can also be said for the local production of synthetic magnesium sulphate (SMS), which is opening up to K+S with the acquisition of the fertilizer activities of Huludao Magpower Fertilizers Co., Ltd. in July 2016.

For K+S KALI GmbH, the IMI is the second private-public partnership with a university. In 2010, the Georg-August University of Göttingen, Germany and K+S KALI GmbH founded the Institute of Applied Plant Nutrition (IAPN). This acts as an interface between science and practice, addressing current issues from practice, bundling existing knowledge and passing on new insights to agricultural practice. At the moment, the IAPN is primarily researching the impact of nutrients on water use efficiency - a subject of great practical relevance for agriculture worldwide, because of climate change. Further information about the IAPN at www.iapn-goettingen.de.

About K+S KALI GmbH

K+S KALI GmbH based in Kassel extracts crude salts containing potassium, magnesium and sulphur from its six mines in Germany. These are used to produce a wide range of fertiliser specialties and preliminary products for many different technical, industrial and pharmaceutical applications. K+S KALI GmbH is one of the world's leading suppliers of potash and magnesium products. The company belonging to the K+S Group employs about 8,000 people. You can find further information about K+S KALI GmbH on the company website at www.kali-gmbh.com

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