Dietary supplement firm NZ Fulvic announced today its first exports to USA.

In what is believed to be a first for the country, New Zealand exports of an organic soil nutrient discovered by accident in a Southland farm have launched into the US.

A deposit of fulvic acid covering one square kilometre and believed to be worth millions of dollars in processed form was discovered following oil and gas exploration surveys in the 1950s.

Deposits of this size are rare by international standards with only a few countries around the world able to extract fulvic acid for nutritional products.

Fulvic acid is a water-soluble material found in a part of soil called the humus. It is the result of a combination of several acids that are created when organic matter decomposes.

The refined humus is processed into a liquid and marketed as a dietary supplement designed to support immunity, nutrient absorption and natural energy levels.

An initial export order of more than 1.5 tonnes of the supplement has left New Zealand destined for the US market and will be sold through Amazon - believed to be the first time this nutrient has been sold into the North American market.

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