Thread Content
Structural problems in China’s fertilizer market need to be addressed urgently. Author/Source: Date: 12-03-2019. Clicks: 37. Reports by reporters from the Economic Reference News indicate that China’s fertilizer industry is going through a phase of gradual elimination of less competitive producers and optimization of the product structure. However, it still faces issues such as counterfeit and substandard fertilizers harming farmers, lagging research in precision fertilization techniques, some products failing to take into account soil capacity, and insufficient guidance regarding the adoption of fertilizers. First, research on precise fertilization techniques is lagging behind, resulting in low and uneven utilization of chemical fertilizers. Tang Mingzhen, the chief agronomist at the Jiangsu Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, said that China’s fertilizer utilization rate is generally 15 to 20 percentage points lower than that of developed countries. Over the past decade, relevant departments have focused on research and promotion of soil-test-based fertilization techniques for food crops; however, there has been less research and development in this area for horticultural crops such as fruits, vegetables, and tea. The use of chemical fertilizers in these crops is much higher than that in food crops. There has been no fundamental change in the practice of applying fertilizers on the surface or scattering them, which leads to increased fertilizer loss, reduced utilization efficiency, and a high risk of agricultural non-point source pollution. Fertilization machinery and equipment are severely underdeveloped. There is a general lack of precise and quantitative, intelligent fertilization technologies and machinery, especially top-dressing equipment, with a significant gap compared to world-class standards. Secondly, fake and substandard fertilizers often harm farmers and disrupt the market, and efforts to crack down on such practices still need to be strengthened. Every year during the fertilizer preparation season, in many rural areas, vans or box trucks operate under the guise of direct manufacturer sales, offering fertilizers of unknown origin in the fields; by the time farmers realize that these fertilizers are ineffective, the sellers have already disappeared. Wan Wenyong, the owner of the Wan Yong Family Farm in Dayan Village, Xinglong Town, Zaoyang City, Hubei Province, said, “In addition to selling directly in the village, they hold lectures under various pretexts, and use tactics such as providing meals and gifts to sell health products, as well as fake fertilizers.” ” Chen Zhengfu, an agent for Shandong Zhongde Fertilizers, said that fines for selling fake and substandard fertilizers are subject to limits, and the cost of breaking the law is far lower than the illegal profits obtained. Moreover, fake and substandard fertilizers can be sold directly from manufacturers to end-users, with a high degree of concealment, making it difficult to supervise the market. Third, a social service mechanism for the promotion and application of chemical fertilizers has not yet been established, and the coverage of supportive policies is limited. Since 2006, various initiatives have been undertaken to promote scientific fertilization, such as subsidies for commercial organic fertilizers and incentives for the cultivation of green manures. These efforts have yielded some results, but the scale of subsidies available for the promotion of organic fertilizers is far lower than the actual output of such fertilizers, leaving a significant gap compared to the needs of farmers and the requirements for advancing the recycling of organic waste. Appropriate promotion and implementation policies for slow-release fertilizers, water-soluble fertilizers, microbial fertilizers, etc. are still relatively lacking. Zhao Peiguo, chairman of Binzhou Guosheng Agricultural Technology Co., Ltd., said that the promotion of these fertilizers relies mainly on producers and distributors organizing meetings for farmers to carry out self-promotion, but they may face issues of lack of trust from farmers during this process. Fourth, some products rely more on gimmicks than on substance, ignoring the soil’s carrying capacity. Liu Wenfa, chairman of Hubei Mengzhi Niu Agricultural Technology Co., Ltd., said that in the past, the overuse of water and fertilizers, along with the focus on the nutrient content of fertilizers such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, has led to a decrease in soil organic matter, soil acidification, damage to beneficial microbial communities, a decline in soil fertility, and severe plant diseases and pests. However, some water-soluble fertilizers, amino acid fertilizers, and plant growth regulators available on the market still focus on increasing crop yields, ignoring soil restoration and soil carrying capacity. Many fertilizer factories do not focus on quality and technology; instead, they emphasize packaging and brand names, claiming that their products are special fertilizers containing various trace elements – but in reality, the hype outweighs the actual substance. Experts recommend: First, establish a stable system of financial subsidies and incentives; building on the existing demonstration areas focused on improving the quality of arable land and reducing the use of fertilizers while increasing their efficiency, more subsidies should be provided for slow-release fertilizers and organic fertilizers. Regions that meet the requirements are encouraged to provide subsidies for social services such as the mechanical application of organic fertilizers, the deep application of chemical fertilizers via machinery, intelligent fertilizer formulation, and the unified application of formulated fertilizers. Social organizations that offer services such as intelligent fertilizer delivery and unified supply and application are compensated through incentives rather than direct subsidies. Secondly, by focusing on issues related to the production, distribution, and use of fertilizers, efforts are made to develop new products, technologies, and equipment such as new types of fertilizers, efficient fertilization methods, and advanced fertilization machinery, thereby using technological innovation to drive the shift in fertilizer production from traditional bulk chemicals to newer types of fertilizers. Through policy guidance, social capital is encouraged to participate in the research and development of formula fertilizers, organic fertilizers, and slow/controlled-release fertilizers. Banks, insurance companies, and other commercial entities are urged to provide financial services to professional cooperatives, large-scale farmers, social service organizations, and fertilizer manufacturers, in order to accelerate the adoption of new technologies, products, and machinery. Thirdly, in response to issues such as significant quality and safety risks in current fertilizer management, chaotic market conditions, and neglect of farmland protection, relevant laws and regulations on fertilizer quality management should be introduced as soon as possible. Farmland protection should be regarded as one of the guiding principles for the development of the fertilizer industry; the entities responsible for fertilizer management should be defined clearly, and practices related to fertilizer registration, production, distribution, and use should be regulated. The costs associated with producing and distributing fake or substandard fertilizers should be increased, so as to ensure that agriculture uses safe fertilizers and farmers can rely on fertilizers of good quality, thereby helping to restore the fertility of farmland. (This edition’s content, aside from the bylines, was written by reporters Shao Kun, Zhao Jiulong, Hou Wenkun, Liu Zhiqiang, Gu Yu, and Lü Xueli.)