Atlas Fertilizer Corporation

What Atlas Fertilizer Corporation does

Atlas Fertilizer Corporation (AFC) is the oldest operating fertilizer company in the Philippines and the first to achieve full-scale manufacturing of compound inorganic (NPK) fertilizers, having been incorporated on October 10, 1957. AFC manufactures and sells a portfolio of traditional grades (14-14-14 Perfect Gro, 16-20-0 Super Gro, 17-0-17 Top Dress) and proprietary non-traditional grades (17-7-17 Hi-Yield Gro, 20-10-0 USP, 12-12-12+3MgO Best Gro, 14-5-20-0.02B Coco Gro) tailored to Philippine soil conditions through Site-Specific Nutrient Management (SSNM) principles developed in partnership with IRRI, IPNI, and PhilRice. The company also operates digital decision-support products — the AFX mobile app and the Atlas Corn/Rice Fertilizer Guides — that translate agronomic inputs (soil type, geography, terrain, seeds, irrigation, practices) into crop-specific fertilizer recommendations.

AFC generates revenue by selling fertilizer products (hardware sales) primarily to rice and corn farmers, with secondary exposure to coconut, sugarcane, cacao, and other high-value crops. Products reach end users through a nationwide distributor and agri-dealer network spanning all regions of the Philippines, supported by a deployed field agronomist team that conducts farmer training, field demonstrations, and technical seminars. The company is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sojitz Corporation, a Japanese general trading company, which provides corporate backing. AFC's headquarters are in Makati City, its main manufacturing plant is in Toledo City, Cebu, and it operates a warehouse in Bacolod City. According to 2017 anniversary materials, AFC captured approximately 25% of the Philippine fertilizer market and is the only company of its kind with nationwide coverage.

AFC's primary customers are individual rice and corn smallholders, with growing emphasis on coconut and export-crop segments; secondary channel customers are distributors and agri-dealers (e.g., FMN Agricultural Supply, a 7-branch Mindanao distributor). Marketing combines field agronomy, industry events (PCA Coconut Week, National Corn Congress, IFA), a Mindanao radio program, digital channels (AFX app), and CSR programs (Adopt-A-School Farm). Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is quote-based on volume and location.

Name

Atlas Fertilizer Corporation

Legal name

Atlas Fertilizer Corporation

Website

https://atlasfertilizer.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1957

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Atlas Fertilizer Corporation is the oldest compound inorganic (NPK) fertilizer manufacturer in the Philippines, producing crop- and soil-specific fertilizer grades for rice, corn, coconut, and other crops, distributed nationwide to Filipino smallholder farmers via partner distributors and supported by the AFX mobile recommendation app.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agricultural Fertilizers (Compound Inorganic NPK Fertilizers)

NAICS

Fertilizer (Mixing Only) Manufacturing (325314)

SIC

Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro primary industry

NPK/Compound & Blended Fertilizers (Granular Blends, Bulk Blending) (AFABABAD)

Keywords

• Compound inorganic fertilizers
• NPK fertilizer manufacturing
• Crop-specific fertilization
• Agricultural input distribution
• Site-specific nutrient management

Headquarters

HQ city

Makati

HQ country

Philippines

HQ region

Asia

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Fertilizer Product Sales: AFC manufactures and sells compound inorganic fertilizers (NPK fertilizers) including traditional grades (14-14-14, 16-20-0) and non-traditional grades (17-7-17, 17-0-17, 20-10-0, etc.) through a nationwide distributor network to Filipino farmers.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Atlas Fertilizer Corporation manufactures and sells compound inorganic (NPK) fertilizers, including traditional and non-traditional crop-specific and soil-specific grades, for Filipino rice, corn, coconut, and other farmers. The company supplements its physical fertilizer lines with digital decision-support tools, including the Atlas Fertilizer Expert (AFX) mobile application and the Atlas Corn and Rice Fertilizer Guide software, which provide site-specific nutrient management recommendations. Products are distributed nationwide through a long-standing partner distributor and agri-dealer network supported by AFC's deployed agronomists.

Product overview

Atlas Fertilizer Corporation is the oldest operating and first fertilizer company in the Philippines to achieve full-scale manufacturing of compound inorganic fertilizers (NP-NPK-NK fertilizers). The company offers a portfolio of mixed fertilizer grades including 14-14-14 Perfect Gro, 16-20-0 Super Gro, 17-0-17 Top Dress, and specialized products like Coco Gro (14-5-20-0.02B) for coconuts and Hi-Yield Gro (17-7-17) for rice and corn. The product portfolio includes non-traditional grade fertilizers developed through the company's Product Development Group using Site-Specific Nutrient Management (SSNM) principles. The company also offers digital products including the Atlas Fertilizer Expert (AFX) mobile application for rice and corn recommendations, and the Atlas Corn Fertilizer Guide and Atlas Rice Fertilizer Guide software applications. In 2023, the company launched 10-10-10+2.5 Humic Substance fertilizer for corn and vegetables.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Atlas Fertilizer Expert (AFX): The Philippines' first and only user-friendly mobile app that gives fertilizer recommendations for rice and corn to help farmers achieve higher yield and profit. Launched in 2020.
• Coco Gro
• Atlas Corn Fertilizer Guide

Products and services

• 14-14-14 Perfect Gro Compound inorganic fertilizer (NPK) with balanced nutrient composition for general crop application.
• 16-20-0 Super Gro High-phosphorus compound inorganic fertilizer designed for crops requiring strong root development.
• 17-0-17 Top Dress Balanced nitrogen-potassium fertilizer suitable for top-dressing application on rice and other crops.
• Coco Gro (14-5-20-0.02B) Specialized fertilizer with boron (0.02B) designed specifically for coconut farming, showcased at Philippine Coconut Authority events.
• Hi-Yield Gro (17-7-17) Non-traditional grade fertilizer with balanced NPK ratio for rice and hybrid corn applications.
• USP (20-10-0) High-nitrogen compound fertilizer promoted for use on rice and corn crops as an alternative to traditional grades.
• Best Gro (12-12-12+3MgO) Balanced fertilizer with added magnesium oxide (3MgO) for crops requiring additional micronutrients.
• 10-10-10+2.5 Humic Substance Fertilizer Newly launched fertilizer formulation with added humic substance (2.5%) designed for corn and vegetables, enhancing soil quality, nutrient retention, and crop yields while promoting balanced fertilizer use.
• Atlas Fertilizer Expert (AFX) The Philippines' first and only user-friendly mobile application providing fertilizer recommendations for rice and corn. Uses Site-Specific Nutrient Management (SSNM) principles to give precise grade and timing recommendations based on farm conditions including soil type, geography, terrain, seeds, irrigation, and farmer practices. Available free on Android and iOS.
• Atlas Corn Fertilizer Guide Software application for corn farmers providing site-specific nutrient management recommendations based on farm management practices and soil characteristics. Adapted from Nutrient Expert for Maize - Philippines in partnership with IPNI Southeast Asia Program.
• Atlas Rice Fertilizer Guide Software application customized for rice farmers, based on Rice Crop Manager (RCM) developed in collaboration with IRRI, providing location-specific fertilizer recommendations.

Quantifiable outcome

• Market share of 25% in Philippine fertilizer market
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability1 record

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Dr. Roland Buresh (IRRI)coreOthers · 1 January 2020Dr. Roland Buresh, Senior and Principal Scientist at IRRI and 2011 Norman Bourlaug Award recipient, is AFC's long-time collaborator in Site-Specific Nutrient Management (SSNM) technology development. He developed tools like Nutrient Manager for rice that AFC has adapted.
• Fertilizer Industry Association of the Philippines (FIAP)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019AFC is a member of FIAP and participated in courtesy visit to Department of Agriculture Secretary William D. Dar to discuss challenges faced by Filipino farmers.
• International Rice Research Institute (IRRI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAFC collaborates with IRRI for research and development of rice fertilization technologies. This partnership has enabled the development of the Atlas Rice Fertilizer Guide based on Rice Crop Manager (RCM), customized for AFC products.
• International Plant Nutrition Institute (IPNI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAFC partners with IPNI Southeast Asia Program to adapt Nutrient Expert for Maize into the Atlas Corn Fertilizer Guide. Partnership also enabled development of Atlas Fertilizer Guide for Sugarcane - the first of its kind in the world.
• Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAFC collaborates with PhilRice for rice fertilization technology development and research, supporting AFC's crop-specific fertilization approach.
• Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAFC partners with PCA for coconut fertilization education and participates in annual Coconut Week festivals and international festivals. AFC showcases Coco Gro fertilizer specifically designed for coconuts at PCA events.
• Department of Agriculture Bureau of Agricultural Research (DA-BAR)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAFC's partner in the Nutrient Expert research collaboration, contributing to data development for the Atlas Corn Fertilizer Guide software.
• University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAFC's research partner in the Nutrient Expert collaboration for corn fertilization technology development, contributing academic expertise.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Philippine Phosphate Fertilizer Corporation (PHILPHOS): Historic Philippine phosphate fertilizer producer with domestic manufacturing and a similar ag-input distribution model. Directly comparable as a domestic compound/phosphate fertilizer manufacturer competing for the same farmer wallet share.
• Planters Products, Inc. Philippine fertilizer manufacturer and distributor with a comparable NPK and specialty fertilizer portfolio serving Filipino farmers. Most direct in-country competitor to AFC with overlapping distribution channels and similar smallholder farmer customer base.

Broad incumbents

• ICL Group Ltd. Israel-based specialty fertilizer and phosphate producer serving global markets including Asia. Comparable in specialty/compound NPK offerings and crop-specific agronomic solutions, with deeper international reach than AFC.
• Haifa Group: Global specialty fertilizer company known for water-soluble NPK and crop-specific formulations. Comparable to AFC's pivot toward soil-specific, crop-specific grades (e.g., Coco Gro, Humic Substance) and similar focus on agronomic recommendation tools.
• Nutrien Ltd. World's largest fertilizer producer with a broad NPK and specialty fertilizer portfolio and a global retail/distribution network. Comparable in product breadth and agronomic advisory services, but operates at vastly larger scale across multiple continents.
• Yara International ASA: Global NPK and compound fertilizer leader that supplies into Southeast Asia through regional offices and partners. Highly comparable product mix (NPK compound fertilizers) and agronomic recommendation approach, but at global scale versus AFC's Philippines-only footprint.
• OCI Global N.V. Major nitrogen-based fertilizer producer with global distribution. Comparable on the nitrogen/NPK manufacturing side and Asian market exposure, though OCI's scale and product mix are far broader than AFC's Philippines-centric portfolio.
• SQM (Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile): Global specialty plant nutrition and fertilizer producer with strong presence in Asia-Pacific. Comparable on specialty crop nutrition and agronomic solutions, though SQM's lithium and iodine businesses make it a diversified incumbent rather than a pure-play fertilizer peer.
• K+S Aktiengesellschaft: German potash and salt producer with growing specialty fertilizer business serving global agricultural markets. Comparable as a major NPK-input supplier and competitor in Asia-Pacific fertilizer distribution, though focused upstream on potash.

Emerging players

• Compo Expert GmbH: European specialty fertilizer company focused on high-quality NPK, slow-release, and micronutrient products for professional horticulture and agriculture. Comparable to AFC's specialty/crop-specific grade strategy and agronomic advisory model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Atlas Fertilizer Corporation