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The Fertilizer Industry Discusses New Ways to Reduce Usage While Increasing Efficiency Author/Source: Sinochem News Network Date: 2020-09-01 Clicks: 19 Water-soluble fertilizers and stable fertilizers will become the key solutions. At present, China’s grain production has shifted from focusing on yield to emphasizing quality; meanwhile, people’s demands regarding fertilizers have evolved from simply increasing yields to achieving high yields and quality, protecting the environment, restoring soil health, and enhancing crop resilience – all as part of multiple objectives. Against this backdrop, water-soluble fertilizers and stable fertilizers have become the main drivers for reducing the use of chemical fertilizers while improving their efficiency. This is the information obtained at the China Water-Soluble Fertilizers and Stable Fertilizers Development Forum, which was held in Wuwei, Gansu from August 29 to 30. Gu Zongqin, president of the China Nitrogen Fertilizer Industry Association, said that fertilizers currently play a role of 30%–40% in increasing crop yields, but China is still at a relatively low level in terms of their utilization; 30%–50% of the nitrogen content is lost in this process. Water-soluble fertilizers and stable fertilizers are globally recognized as fertilizers that can significantly improve utilization rates, and they represent a strategic approach for the green development of China’s fertilizer industry. It is reported that value-added fertilizers, represented by value-added urea, value-added phosphate ammonium, and value-added compound fertilizers, have been industrialized in over 40 large enterprises, with production reaching 10 million tons; they have thus become the green and high-efficiency fertilizer type with the highest production volume in the world. Over the next 5 to 10 years, major fertilizers such as conventional urea used in agriculture in China will be fully transformed into green products with higher efficiency in delivering essential nutrients. Water-soluble fertilizers and stable fertilizers will give rise to new business models in China, making significant contributions to reducing the use of chemical fertilizers while increasing agricultural productivity in a sustainable manner. “Currently, fertilizers in China have entered a new era of green and efficient development. ”Zhang Fusuo, Dean of the **Institute for Green Agricultural Development at China Agricultural University and an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, said that the development of fertilizers in the new era should follow a path of energy conservation, efficiency, sustainability, and environmental protection. It is necessary for companies to design products that meet the needs of agricultural production as well as those of green consumption, so as to produce fertilizers that can be used efficiently. Water-soluble fertilizers and stable fertilizers are highly effective functional fertilizers that have been proven effective in practice, and they will provide strong technical support for the green development of fertilizers in our country. “Developing efficient green fertilizers is not only an effective means to increase agricultural yields, ensure food security, and improve the quality of agricultural products, but it is also an inevitable choice for reducing fertilizer use in agriculture, enhancing efficiency, and promoting sustainable development. Water-soluble fertilizers and stable fertilizers are products that can significantly improve fertilizer utilization by systematically enhancing ‘fertilizer nutritional functions, root absorption capabilities, and soil environmental conditions’, thus meeting the needs of high-quality agricultural development. ”The remarks of Gao Xiangzhao, a leading expert from the National Agricultural Technology Extension Service under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, have pointed the way for the industry in terms of adjusting its development strategies. Zhang Chenglin, a professor at South China Agricultural University and head of the Crop Nutrition Research Laboratory, believes that water-soluble fertilizers enable precise fertilization, effectively improving fertilizer utilization rates; teaching growers how to use advanced and efficient fertilization methods is key to successful fertilization. Bao Wankui, an assistant researcher at the Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, emphasized the need to develop a green fertilizer development model that integrates \"soil improvement—green planting—use of efficiency enhancers—crop solutions—services\". At the parallel thematic forum on fertilizer urease inhibitors, nitrification inhibitors, and stable fertilizers, Dr. Wei Zhanbo from the Shenyang Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Professor Zhang Weifeng from China Agricultural University delivered special presentations on the current development status of such inhibitors and stable fertilizers, standard-setting, as well as field demonstration trials, from the perspective of industry development. Ding Hui, senior manager of the fertilizer enhancer project at BASF China Co., Ltd., believes that nitrogen stabilizers can improve nitrogen utilization, help reduce fertilizer use while enhancing efficiency, effectively lower farmers’ agricultural production costs, and increase their profits – a fact that has been proven internationally. The co-organizer of the conference, Henan Xinlianxin Chemical Industry Group Co., Ltd., shared at the event its successful experiences in the production of new types of urea, the use of humic acid to enhance the effectiveness of fertilizers, as well as the application and promotion of intelligent integrated water and fertilizer systems. In addition, companies such as Coats, Solvay, Nanning Hanhe, Yunnan Yuntianhua, Xinyangfeng Agricultural Technology, and Guizhou Phosphorus Chemical Group also shared their experiences in the research, development, and promotion of water-soluble fertilizers and stable fertilizers. This conference was hosted by the China Nitrogen Fertilizer Industry Association, with over 200 representatives from research institutions, universities, and enterprises in attendance.