Interview with Roger Bernat, ITC's new Commercial Director

Roger Bernat, the new Commercial Director, has granted an interview to talk about different topics related to the company. Roger has a very wide experience in the irrigation sector.

You have recently attended two agricultural fairs here in Spain, FIMA in Zaragoza and Expolevante in Níjar. How are you experiencing the fact of returning to this type of events?

The issue of contact with the customer is fundamental. Almost 3 years without being able to perceive what is happening in the market, without being able to talk to the user of the product, the actors of the sector… It took us a long time. The April fairs went very well. They were of a different profile and Almeria is very specialized, but from the general assessment of both attendees and exhibitors at both events, it was noticeable that there was a great desire to recover a bit of lost normality.

What differential value can ITC offer to the agricultural sector?

Although from the outside it may seem otherwise, the agricultural sector is highly technological and increasingly demanding. Who before was simply a farmer, today is an agricultural entrepreneur. So what can ITC offer? Added value to this production chain. While it is true that the ITC product often represents a minimal percentage of the overall investment in a farmer’s irrigation system, it is fundamental at a qualitative level, since the precision in the dosage of the plant’s feed has an enormous impact on productivity.

The enormous precision and control that we offer on the supply of fertilizer, that is, in the feeding of the plant, is different. Energy savings in the cost and, therefore, optimization of the same, lower initial investment than some existing systems in the market, lower operational costs and more productivity are some of the sales of our proposal. In addition, being a highly technological product, it allows continuous monitoring of the status of the operation and the immediate possibility of remote correction, if necessary, in the same in case it is necessary.

In addition, an oversized stock and a very powerful technical department allow us to serve the market practically immediately. Finally, the robustness of the product is also remarkable and is perhaps relatively unknown in the industry.

We are therefore offering a product of high quality, innovative and modern design and great resistance and robustness. A lot of added value: impact on the final product in terms of quality and increased production, reduced operating costs and increased profit. This translates into more profit for the customer. In addition, we offer an after-sales service, which makes us very dynamic when it comes to modifying the product and adapting it to the needs of this increasingly demanding market.

Is the agricultural sector fully digitized or are there still parts that resist this change?

There may be parts of the world that are more reluctant to change (probably due to external factors), but fortunately, agriculture is becoming more and more technified every day and, therefore, the bar is higher. If the competition – and we ourselves – do not approach that bar, the market will throw us out immediately. There are certain particularities in our product that make us, I believe, quite unique. We give that little bit of a differential that, humbly, we think the customer can’t find outside of ITC.

2021 has been a year full of changes for ITC, and despite the pandemic you have been able to expand in the agricultural market. Consolidating your position as a reference in the fertigation sector. What would be your next challenge?

Although it is a very typical phrase, you always have to evolve! The work in the first 30 years of ITC has been excellent.

Now, the world has changed completely and obviously, agriculture is no stranger to these changes. There is an extremely demanding market and a lot of competition?

The difference between a profitable farm and an unprofitable one can be the small details and one of them is undoubtedly fertigation: the better we feed the plant – that is our main objective – the more options we have to make the farm profitable.

The world is very big, there are many different niches to explore, an infinite number of crops to investigate and learn more about. In short, there are many potential markets to work in. Either we adapt to this or we won’t have much of a future.

At ITC we have a very ambitious growth plan for the next five years, that aims to double turnover and thus multiply ITC’s presence around the world. It is an ambitious and difficult plan – we know that – but the company has put the necessary resources behind it.

The challenge ahead of us is colossal, but we are ready for it and we certainly have the capabilities to make it happen.