Counterfeit fertilizers are at an alarming level.
This is the assessment of the Ministry of Industry and Trade regarding the current state of the domestic fertilizer production industry. According to the Ministry, counterfeit and substandard fertilizers have been found in most localities at very high rates. State management in this field is also "problematic".
Counterfeit fertilizers are flooding the market.
According to Ms. Nguyen Kim Lien, Deputy Director of the Chemical Department (Ministry of Industry and Trade), the production and sale of counterfeit and substandard fertilizers has reached alarming levels recently. Counterfeit and substandard fertilizers have been detected in almost all localities. In particular, many fertilizer products lack up to 80% of their nutrient content.
Statistics from the Department of Chemicals show that in 2011, the competent authority conducted inspections and took samples from several fertilizer production and trading units. The inspection results showed that 46.7% of samples did not meet the declared organic matter content, 46.6% did not meet the total nitrogen content, and 33.3% did not meet the readily available phosphorus content… Notably, as many as 41% of the analyzed samples showed violations of all three NPK elements.
In addition, in recent times, market management forces in localities have also intensified inspections and controls of agricultural supplies, including fertilizers. This has led to the detection of many violations regarding pricing and quality measurement. Specifically, the amount of counterfeit, substandard, and expired fertilizers seized has reached over 1,000 tons. “We believe this is only the tip of the iceberg, because the amount of counterfeit fertilizer that has been successfully sold or is circulating in the market is many times greater, across almost all provinces and cities,” Ms. Lien stated.
Explaining the reasons, Ms. Lien stated that in Vietnam, fertilizers are considered one of the most important products in terms of revenue and profit. Therefore, many businesses from different economic sectors participate in their production. Furthermore, fertilizers are not yet regulated as a conditional production and trading item requiring certificates or licenses; consequently, many small-scale establishments lacking the necessary conditions still participate in production and trading. A significant number of manufacturers do not comply with state regulations, deliberately releasing counterfeit and substandard fertilizers onto the market. The amount of money farmers lose, both directly and indirectly, due to using counterfeit fertilizers amounts to hundreds of billions of dong per year.
Administrative procedures create difficulties for both management and production.
Currently, according to regulations, fertilizers are managed according to a list of those permitted for production, trade, and use in Vietnam, issued and updated quarterly by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. Mr. Truong Hop Tac, Head of the Fertilizer Department (Department of Crop Production, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development), stated that fertilizers not yet included in the list must undergo testing to be recognized as new fertilizers, except for inorganic fertilizers, traditional organic fertilizers, and fertilizers recognized as technological advancements by the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.
According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, with the policy of strongly developing the fertilizer industry to proactively serve domestic agricultural production and limit imports, domestic production of inorganic fertilizers has continuously grown. Currently, the production capacity of factories has met 80% of domestic demand with a total output of approximately 8 million tons of various types. More importantly, major fertilizers that have a significant impact on the market, such as urea, NPK, and phosphate, have met domestic demand. |
To be included in the fertilizer catalog, Mr. Tac stated that 13 different administrative procedures must be followed. This creates difficulties for both manufacturers and the regulatory agencies. "Managing fertilizers according to such a catalog is very costly, time-consuming for testing, and makes searching difficult. It hinders traceability, leading to low management efficiency and is no longer suitable for current practices," Mr. Tac acknowledged.
Sharing the same view, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Ho Thi Kim Thoa stated that the Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development are currently jointly involved in the state management of fertilizers. However, the clear delineation of primary responsibilities before the Government is not yet fully defined. Therefore, no single agency has complete information on the production, business, and import/export activities of fertilizers. “The fragmented and overlapping management, in a ‘half-hearted’ manner, naturally leads to lax oversight. Furthermore, at the local level, fertilizer management agencies lack personnel and analytical equipment… giving counterfeit fertilizers even more opportunities to proliferate,” Ms. Thoa said.
Based on the above practical experience, Ms. Thoa believes that a new decree on fertilizer management is necessary. Accordingly, the Ministry of Industry and Trade would be responsible for inorganic fertilizers, while the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development would manage organic fertilizers and other fertilizers. "Clearly defining the responsibilities of each state management agency is essential to bring fertilizer production and business activities into order," Ms. Thoa proposed.
According to (NNVN) - LC
