- The UK distributor of one of the longest-established biostimulant brands is celebrating 20 years of helping farmers protect their crops and increase yields.
MJP Supplies began representing the seaweed-based biostimulant Algifol in 2005 and has since sold more than 100,000 litres to UK growers.
Developed in Germany by Neo-Med Pharma, Algifol is concentrated brown algae gathered from the North Atlantic. It is dried and refined to maximise its wealth of trace elements, vitamins, enzymes, amino acids, carbohydrates, polyuronides and growth-regulating plant hormones.
Marcus Palmer, who owns MJP Supplies, discovered Algifol when researching biostimulants in 2004 following concerted marketing efforts by some of the large chemical companies.
“I was very curious about whether or not a biostimulant could help my potatoes,” says Marcus, who farms at Rose Villa Farm near Spalding. “So I gave Algifol a go, and in that first year, we saw our yields and quality improve considerably compared to our control area. In fact, I was so impressed with its effect over several years, that I asked Neo-Med Pharma if I could represent them in the UK as they didn’t have a strong presence over here.
“I started selling Algifol locally to farmers in Lincolnshire and Cambridgeshire. Since then, we’ve gone from strength to strength, and today, there are over one hundred growers across Great Britain applying Algifol to their crops and seeing the benefits.
“The farmers using Algifol are generally really happy with the effects. It is completely natural, improves yields, reduces stress caused by droughts, heat and heavy rainfall, and is incredibly cost-effective, with just one litre being enough to spray one hectare. It also combines well with Nitrogen, allowing growers to reduce the amount of Nitrogen they apply and, therefore, save money without impacting the quality of their crops.”
One of Marcus’ first customers was Greg Gowler, who was using Algifol before Marcus started to represent the brand. Greg, his son and grandson have stayed loyal to Algifol and are still applying it to their potatoes today! In fact, it was talking to Greg about Algifol’s performance that gave Marcus the confidence to take on the brand and market it to other growers.
Applied by knapsack, trailed or mounted sprayers or planes, Algifol is used worldwide on a diverse range of crops, including bananas, grapes, tea, potatoes and cereals. In the UK, the majority of Marcus’ customers are growing potatoes, oilseed rape and sugar beet, with the manufacturer NeoMed-Pharma recommending four applications of one litre of Algifol diluted at a ratio of up to 1:1,000.
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