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Summit Agro International deals in the development and domestic and overseas trading of crop protection products, as well as environmental health products, and pet care products and their materials. As a subsidiary of Sumitomo Corporation, Summit Agro has been helping farmers protect their crops for decades, especially in South America. This reputation for quality products has allowed for Summit Agro’s continued agrochemical and agricultural market expansion over the course of time, with an eye to improve product effectiveness and serve the farmers’ needs.
In addition to being a trading company with rich product knowledge, Summit Agro International makes use of Sumitomo Corporation’s integrated corporate strength to improve business lines across the globe.
The newly formed Summit Agro Chile (SACH) began their operation on January 1, 2014, designed to help expand Sumitomo’s agriculture related business in Chile not only with agrochemical, but also with specialty fertilizer and biostimulants. In agrochemicals, the products are fungicides, insecticides, acaricides and herbicides; in specialty fertilizer, a nitrification inhibitor; and in biostimulants, a Chitosan-based product. Two new Chilean products are currently being prepared for the market while two others that Summit Agro recently acquired are in market development in the Americas through each country’s Summit Agro team.
Summit Agro sales management works together across country borders in order to share market intelligence, experience, R&D, etc. In the South American Andes region, a focal area of Sumitomo
Corporation’s agrochemical business, SACH was established as the third agricultural chemical sales company after Iharabras in Brazil and Summit Agro Argentina. With the addition of SACH, Sumitomo
Corporation continues to strengthen its earnings base in the Andes, with an eye to increasing its market share. An expanded presence in the Chilean agrochemical market is a goal; the market experiences yearly sales of $380 million.
Agrochemical pursuits continue to expand throughout South America, especially in Sumitomo Corporation Ecuador (SCEC), which is expanding sales to new areas and crops especially in its coastal area, an area where it maintains 70% of the market share in crops such as rice, corn, palm oil and bananas. For this purpose, a new distribution channel was established for this region with main distributors, new personnel to lead direct sales in 2013, and a branch office in 2014. Main producers and exporters help improve SCEC's presence in the market, and provide better access to our end users with competitive prices. Additionally, a new image strategy for using the brand name and logo of “Summit Agro Ecuador” will help to promote SCEC’s products and image.
Sumitomo Corporation Colombia (SCCL) established new crop management systems, with managers appointed for business in flowers, rice, and “PVF,” potatoes, vegetables & fruits. Also, several new agrochemical products, including fungicides, insecticides, and foliar fertilizers, were registered to assist these different crops. In a completely new segment, business has emerged in adjuvants, which assist in the application of the other products. In addition, SCCL is studying new mixtures to widen its product portfolio, and some of these will be introduced to the market in 2014.
Enduring weather problems, economic restrictions, etc., Summit Agro Argentina achieved $34 million in sales in 2013, with growth due to three factors: the development of herbicides to control weeds resistant to the usual soybean herbicide, an alliance with DuPont to co-distribute insecticides, and the launching of a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) program to help increase our staff's focus on clients. Educational initiatives for young agronomists were organized, and resulted in an increase of the field staff in areas of technical support and sales.
Recently, an agreement for the acquisition of Metominostrobin, an agricultural crop protection fungicide, was concluded between Summit Agro and Bayer Crop Science Japan to distribute and market Metominostrobin outside of the Japanese market. Metominostrobin has already been registered as a crop protection product in Argentina, one of the world's largest soybean producers, as well as in other Latin American countries, including Columbia, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia.
With a diverse market potential and a diverse array of microclimates, the country of Guatemala has a robust agricultural output, and is the fourth largest producer of coffee in the world. Sumitomo Guatemala established a business in JAS/Fair Trade certified organic “Bird Friendly®” coffee grown in Mexico, Guatemala, Colombia, El Salvador and Peru. Bird Friendly® refers to organic certified coffee grown on farms with a shade cover that provides substantial habitat for migratory and resident birds in tropic landscapes. Sumitomo Guatemala ships approximately 150.8MT of this coffee to the Japanese market.
