Croatia’s first organic fertiliser factory using raw sheep wool opens in Otočac
- by croatiaweek
- in Business
(Photo credit: Woolee HR)
ZAGREB, 21 July (Hina) – Croatia’s first factory manufacturing certified organic fertiliser from raw sheep wool opened in Otočac, about 150 kilometres southwest of Zagreb, on Thursday.
The factory is called Eko Lika Greennovation and its product Woolee. It is owned by Dragica Jerkov and operates as part of the company Fema d.o.o.
Jerkov said at the opening ceremony that the factory will initially be able to treat 120 tonnes of wool a year and that it plans to increase its production by using different shearing machines for all six sheep breeds reared in Croatia.
She said that about 1,300 tonnes of wool is sheared and discarded into nature annually, including about 440 tonnes in Lika-Senj and Zadar counties. Instead of becoming a burden on the environment, because wool takes 90 years to decompose in nature, it will now be used as a resource for high-quality NPK fertiliser consisting of 12.5% of nitrogen, 0.8% of phosphorus and 5% of potassium.
(Photo credit: Woolee HR)
Jerkov said that sheep wool pellets are better than manure and artificial fertiliser, adding that Woolee pellets feed plants for three months and that plants need 20% less irrigation.
Lika-Senj County Prefect Ernest Petry said that the opening of the factory marks an important step towards sustainable development of agriculture because Eko Lika will use a resource that is otherwise discarded as waste and turn it into high-quality organic fertiliser.
(Photo credit: Woolee HR)
He described the factory as a successful combination of innovation, environmental protection and agriculture, stressing that it will also contribute to greater employment.
The Jerkov family invested about €400,000 in the factory. The factory currently employs 20 persons and plans to hire another 12 soon. Video from the opening below.
