Our story

It all started with the promotion of organic and microbial-integrated sustainable agriculture by the Late Dr. Tahir Hussain (picture on right) in the early 90s under the banner of Nature Farming Research and Development Foundation (NFRDF). He was the Professor of Soil Science and retired as a Dean, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Agriculture Faisalabad (UAF), Pakistan in 2003. Dr. Tahir Hussain in collaboration with the University of Agriculture Faisalabad (UAF) established the application of beneficial microbes in Pakistan by innovating the first of its kind, an open- Fermenter system technology, which is constructed on the farm next to water-canal source to irrigate the land (picture on right). The fermenter system hosts local farm manure mix and microbes that were acquired from the pioneering technology of that time by EMRO- Japan and later Biosa, Switzerland.

The application of microbes through open- Fermenter system made a breakthrough in Pakistan’s agriculture in the early 1990s and the system was installed at thousands  of farms across the country, even today. The system has evolved on various farms and more details are provided on the Technology section of our company.

Dr. Tahir Hussain also provided consultancy to a number of agro-industry projects and common farmers. This included key collaborations with Shahnawaz Mango Farms – Shezan (Mercedez Benz), Asim Nizamani Farms Tando Allayar,  Organic Farming Project with Shakarganj Sugar Mills Jhang, Abu Dhabi Palaces, Pakistan, NRSP and RSPN led agriculture rehabilitation projects, IUCN Water Treatment Project and many more. The key microbial products involved were BioAAB, BioTrace, BioPride, LpH, BioControl, BioKhad and Biovet. Initial application of EM Technology towards renewable and sustainable agriculture in Pakistan was therefore pioneered by Dr Tahir Hussain and his team and various scientific studies were conducted and published in national and international journals. Some key ones are listed here

1. http://www.infrc.or.jp/knf/PDF{3bd6da83b8692eb722911cb6723f14a604bffc3894536a51cfd0478eb4a38c7f}20KNF{3bd6da83b8692eb722911cb6723f14a604bffc3894536a51cfd0478eb4a38c7f}20Conf{3bd6da83b8692eb722911cb6723f14a604bffc3894536a51cfd0478eb4a38c7f}20Data/C4-4-122.pdf
2. https://www.infrc.or.jp/knf/6th_Conf_S_4_5.html
3. https://journalajaees.com/index.php/AJAEES/article/view/677

A story is also covered on this by Pakissan (https://www.pakissan.com/english/advisory/technology.of.beneficial.shtml) and other scientific work (https://www.researchgate.net/publication/267039125_Biofertilizers_in_Pakistan_Initiatives_and_Limitations#fullTextFileContent).

The framework of EM Holdings was established in 2007 by Dr.Jibran Tahir, who was the junior scientist in NFRDF at that time. EM Holdings then developed its own microbial cultures over time and products adapted to the needs of the region. Today, EM Holdings is a global company with its head office, established in New Zealand and Pakistan.

We have developed a collection of new microbes that are part of a completely new product line for agriculture, environment and livestock. We are carrying experience gained over two generations within 40 years in the application and integration of microbial products for Agriculture, Livestock and Environment. With a range of microbial products we have been providing products and services in improving soil health and crop /horticulture production, developing biofertiliser from animal and poultry manure as well as industrial biowaste, reclamation of saline and sodic regions (salt-affected) lands, organic and integrated-sustainable crop and horticulture production as well as reducing bad odours in livestock sector.