Taking on the World as a Leader in Coated Fertilizers

What is your business and what are the characteristics of your business?

Jaycam Agri's business is the manufacture and sale of fertilizers, and Jaycam Agri is a leading manufacturer of "coated fertilizers," or functional fertilizers.

Coated fertilizers are regular urea or chemical fertilizer granules coated with a film, and the coating helps plants grow more efficiently.

Specifically, by controlling the time it takes for the fertilizer to leach out, it allows the fertilizer to take effect when plants need it, supporting plant growth more efficiently than ordinary fertilizers.

There are linear and sigmoidal types of leaching patterns of coated fertilizers, and when differences in the raw materials used for fertilizers and other factors are added, a great variety of coated fertilizers are available.

The production and development of coated fertilizers, this diverse range of functional fertilizers, is one of the key features of JCAM Agri's business.

Tell us how we are different from our competitors.

What differentiates JCAM Agri from its competitors is its "product power.

There are many types of fertilizers, but Jaycam Agri's coated fertilizers allow you to control the time when the fertilizer takes effect by coating a film around the regular fertilizer.

Fertilizer components are easily soluble in water. For example, highly chemical fertilizers have a fertilizer efficacy of about 30 days, and urea granules dissolve in water so quickly that they run off and disappear before they are fully utilized by the plants. By applying a coating to such fertilizers, it is possible to control the fertilizer's efficacy from 20 to 700 days, thereby increasing the utilization rate of fertilizers and reducing the frequency of fertilizer application (spreading fertilizers), contributing to significant labor savings.

There are two types of leaching patterns for coated fertilizers: linear and sigmoidal. The linear type leaches fertilizer gradually and continuously, while the sigmoidal type suppresses leaching up to a certain period and rapidly leaches fertilizer after that period. By using these different types, it is possible to control the elution at a targeted time and number of days.

Being a leading manufacturer of coated fertilizers with these features is a major strength of JCAM Agri.

This fertilizer is also used in NASA's (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) plan to send humans to Mars. A fertilizer called "Nutricote ®" (Japanese name "Long ®") was evaluated as the most effective for use in space, and was actually used to grow vegetables on the space station. In this way, NASA has also recognized Nutricote® as enabling plant growth in the controlled environment of space.

We are proud to say that this episode suggests that the quality of our coated fertilizers is the best in the world.

Furthermore, we do not rest on our existing product lines, but focus on developing new products.
And we are constantly pursuing the latest technology through domestic environmental ventures and collaboration with universities and government agencies.

We are proud of our top share of the domestic market for coated fertilizers, which are high value-added products, and we are proud to maintain our leading position in the industry.

What is your strategy for future growth?

Japan's demand for fertilizers peaked in 1973, and since then, demand for fertilizers has continued to decline against a backdrop of declining demand for agricultural products, aging farmers, and a lack of successors. As a result, fertilizer manufacturers have repeatedly disposed of facilities, spun off companies, and integrated their businesses.

Today, although the drop in demand is becoming smaller, demand is still expected to drop, and companies are being forced to choose between exiting or surviving.

We believe that JCAM Agri can survive in this environment as a leading manufacturer of fertilizers in Japan by leveraging our strengths in coated fertilizer technology and products and further enhancing these strengths.

Furthermore, we intend to expand our supply of coated fertilizers overseas. Unlike in Japan, the population is growing rapidly overseas, and demand for coated fertilizers is expected to expand significantly due to the rapid growth in demand for food.

Therefore, we are preparing to deliver the world's No. 1 quality coated fertilizers to the world, but the cost of export is a hurdle to overcome when expanding overseas. In order to overcome this hurdle, our future challenge is to find targets where the value and benefits of the product outweigh the cost of export.

In this way, JCAM Agri will grow both by winning domestically and expanding overseas.

Please tell us about your social contributions and environmental initiatives.

JCM Agri is promoting efforts to address environmental issues as well as contributing to agriculture through fertilizers.

Low utilization of applied fertilizers contributes to groundwater pollution and emissions of nitrous oxide, a greenhouse gas. Jaycam Agri focuses on coated fertilizers that can reduce environmental impact by increasing fertilizer utilization.

On the other hand, coated fertilizers have the issue of residual film shells after use.

To address this issue, for example, we have developed and launched "J-Coat ®," which reduces the amount of resin in the coating and improves the collapsibility of the coating, thereby reducing the discharge of the coating shell into the ocean. Furthermore, we are working diligently to develop technologies to reduce environmental impact, such as the use of biodegradable resins or the development of coated fertilizers that do not use resins.

Agriculture is an important social infrastructure that is indispensable to humankind. JCM Agri will continue to contribute to society by supporting agriculture through the provision of fertilizers that are indispensable for crops.

What is the attraction of working at JCAM Agri and what are the future possibilities?

Those who join us in a career-track position can gain diverse experience and skills by experiencing a variety of work in any department.

At JCAM Agri, we intend to actively promote inter-departmental transfers more than ever before. We expect that by experiencing work in multiple departments, not just the one to which you were initially assigned, you will broaden your experience and knowledge, and will be able to work from a broader perspective and higher viewpoint.

In addition, although office hires are not expected to be transferred when they join the company, we have a system that allows them to choose their own course of action regarding transfers, and we have a system in place that allows them to experience the work of other departments if they so desire.

In terms of operations, one of the most attractive features of our business is that we are exposed to the latest technologies and cutting-edge techniques in this field.

And, of course, contributing to society in the form of supporting agriculture as the top manufacturer of fertilizers in Japan is "irreplaceably rewarding and interesting.

At JCAM Agri, our major goal is to expand our overseas business in the future. I believe that being able to be involved in the process of expanding overseas as well as winning domestically is an interesting aspect of the company that is difficult to experience at other companies.

Please tell us who you would like to work with.

Of course, we welcome anyone who loves agriculture and loves fertilizers. We would love to work with anyone who has a desire to support the world from the part of agriculture and fertilizers.

Is the other person someone who has strong feelings about something, not just this point, and can share them?

In terms of work, I would like to work with someone who can think and move well and be part of the same Jcam Agri team!

What is your message to young people interested in agriculture and fertilizers?

Looking at Japan alone, it may seem that the demand for fertilizers will continue to shrink. However, from a global perspective, the demand for fertilizer will continue to grow until the year 2100 due to population growth.

Therefore, the social importance of fertilizer manufacturers will become increasingly significant on a global scale.

Even in companies and industries that are thriving at the present time, the same can be said for any company or industry in terms of not knowing what will happen 20 or 30 years down the road.

We believe that agriculture is indispensable to mankind and that the fertilizer business is one that will never disappear. And JCAM Agri will survive in Japan and challenge the world.

If you are interested in agriculture and fertilizers, I hope you will take up the challenge and believe in their potential.