The group standard for \"Specifications on the Naming and Classification Management of New Fertilizers\" has been officially released

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On June 10, the group standard titled \"Specifications for the Naming and Classification Management of New Fertilizers\", which was proposed and taken under responsibility by the China Phosphorus Fertilizer Industry Association, led by the Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning at the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, and jointly drafted by more than 10 authoritative institutions and leading enterprises including the Shanghai Chemical Research Institute, Shandong Agricultural University Fertilizer Industry, and Yuntu Holding, was officially released. 　　These industry standards, developed over a period of 3 years, will address the chaos in the market through scientific classification and standardized naming, thereby providing a standardized foundation for the high-quality development of the new fertilizer industry. 　　According to Feng Shangshan, director of the Compound Fertilizer Department and secretary-general of the New Fertilizers Branch at the China Phosphorus Fertilizer Industry Association, with the advancement of the \"dual carbon\" strategy and the need for a green transformation in agriculture, new types of fertilizers are seeing an expanding market scale due to their advantages in improving fertilizer efficiency and ensuring food security. However, this has also given rise to two major problems: chaotic naming practices and unclear classification systems. On one hand, some companies, for marketing purposes, either misuse high-tech terminology or arbitrarily invent product names, making it difficult for consumers to discern the actual functions of the products ； On the other hand, the industry has not yet established a unified classification system, and the boundary between conventional fertilizers and new types of fertilizers is unclear, which makes regulation more difficult and allows inferior products to enter the market. 　　Yuan Liang, a researcher at the Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning under the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, said that this group standard will establish a management system covering the entire industrial chain. He suggested that, in terms of the classification system, a three-level classification framework should be established: the first level of classification divides fertilizers into three categories based on their properties – inorganic fertilizers, organic fertilizers, and microbial fertilizers ； The secondary classification is centered on efficiency-enhancing technologies, covering nine technical areas such as coated sustained-release, biochemical inhibition, and biological fermentation ； The third-level classification further details specific product types such as slow/controlled-release fertilizers and stable fertilizers, enabling them to be classified into appropriate categories. 　　This group standard also explicitly prohibits the use of misleading terms in terms of naming rules, requiring that the name accurately reflect the technical characteristics or components of the additives ； At the same time, companies are required to provide three naming options: technical approach, materials/additives, and materials + technology, in order to ensure scientific accuracy while also ensuring market recognizability. 　　“This group standard will help enterprises clarify the technologies and product systems for new types of fertilizers, thereby reducing R&D and marketing costs ； Help the market reduce consumer misinformation, enhance consumer trust, and promote the adoption of new types of fertilizers. In the long term, this group standard is also expected to be upgraded to an industry standard or even a **national standard, thereby helping China’s fertilizer industry move toward higher quality and greener practices. ”Feng Shangshan said that with the implementation of this group standard, a new type of fertilizer market featuring standardized product names, clear classification, and orderly regulation will be formed more rapidly, providing solid support for ensuring food security and promoting the green and low-carbon development of agriculture.