Teck Resources has announced that it has signed an agreement with the National Agricultural Technology Extension Service Centre of the Ministry of Agriculture in China (NATESC) to promote the use of zinc fertiliser in China.
It is estimated that around 450,000 children die of zinc deficiency each year. The deficiency of zinc is believed to seriously affect general human health and agriculture.
In China alone, 60% of arable land has been classified as zinc deficient which will impact crop growth substantially. NATESC has been working in partnership with the International Zinc Association to prove the fact that the use of zinc fertilisers can enhance crop growth and at the same time improve human health. Towards this end, both the organisations have conducted around 40 field trials already. Teck and NATESC will further carry on this work by conducting 50 additional field trials through equal investments of $500,000. These demonstrations are also likely to help in spreading the knowledge about the benefits of using zinc fertilisers.
According to the Party Secretary of NATESC Hang Dapeng, the initial field trials have evoked positive response from producers and zinc fertiliser will soon become an important part in the development of water saving agriculture, fertiliser recommendation programme and the development strategies adopted by many fertiliser producers.
Teck particularly is mainly focussed on spreading awareness about the use of zinc and educating people about the deficiency of zinc. The company has partnered with other institutions like UNICEF, Free the Children, Government of Canada and the Micronutrient Initiative.
Source: http://www.teck.com