Anhui Huilong is the third largest manufacturer of fertilizer and pesticide in China but until now it has sold its products wholesale to other companies who re-branded the chemicals for Australian markets.

The company has now started an Australian subsidiary, Huilong Agrochemicals Australia, which will have its national office in Horsham.

Huilong took over the lease on Agritech’s Dimboola Road facility and is in the process of starting its own distribution centre.

Huilong managing director Haobing Li said his company chose Horsham for its headquarters because it was in a major agricultural region with access to other markets.

“If we are based in Horsham, we can go for South Australia, western Victoria, maybe even parts of New South Wales,” he said.

Mr Li said the company was looking to employ 10 people and was looking at renting more storage sheds around Horsham and possibly starting other offices in towns around the Wimmera.

Huilong’s main business will be selling fertilizer and pesticides to grain farmers.

The new player in town will face competition from at least two chemical companies and six farm suppliers that are already established around Horsham.

Mr Li said Huilong’s Chinese parent had a lot of experience in providing agricultural products to many countries around the world.

“It will be mainly door-to-door from the factory in China to farmers,” he said.

“We need a distribution centre as some farmers don’t need a whole container of pesticide.”

Huilong Agrochemicals already has distribution centres in Brisbane and Bundaberg.

Mr Li said Huilong had secured legal permission to import and sell 33 types of chemical product from the parent company’s range of more than 150.

Last month the company met with Horsham Rural City Council to discuss its future plans.

Mr Li is one of two Australian minority shareholders in the Huilong Agrochemicals, which most of the company being owned by its Chinese parent.

He has spent 16 years living in Australia and previously worked for the CSIRO and the former Victorian Department of Primary Industries.

Mr Li said his experience in working in agricultural science led  him to chose the Wimmera as one of Huilong’s first Australian markets.

“It was obvious to put a distribution centre in the Wimmera,” he said.

Huilong’s Chinese operation is worth about $5 billion and has 3500 employees..