Every year, 10 million tons of inorganic fertilizers are used, easily destroying the environment.
On average, each year Vietnam needs to consume up to 11 million tons of fertilizer, of which only about 1 million tons are organic fertilizers, the remaining more than 90% are inorganic fertilizers.
The above figures are statistics of the Plant Protection Department (Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development) announced at the conference on developing organic fertilizers for Vietnam's agricultural sector recently held in Hanoi.
As of December 2017, the number of industrially produced organic fertilizer products registered in fertilizer production licenses was 713 products, accounting for only 5% of the total number of fertilizer products registered in production licenses or declared to be in compliance with regulations (14,318 products), the remaining 93.7% were inorganic fertilizers (13,423 products) and 1.3% were biological fertilizers (182 products). Thus, the number of fertilizer products being produced, imported, and used domestically (declared to be in compliance) belonging to the inorganic fertilizer category is more than 19 times more than organic fertilizers.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the production and use of fertilizers properly and in balance will contribute to improving the productivity and quality of agricultural products.
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| The number of inorganic fertilizer products being produced, imported, and used domestically (declared to be in compliance) is 19 times greater than organic fertilizers. |
However, for a long time we have used chemical fertilizers, which have polluted the soil environment and negatively affected the quality of agricultural products. Meanwhile, using organic fertilizers, in addition to providing nutrients, also has the effect of improving the humus regime, regulating soil solutions, improving soil microorganisms, reducing leaching, reducing evaporation, and increasing fertilizer efficiency. Developing the production and use of organic fertilizers, in addition to promoting organic agricultural production, can also exploit the great potential of utilizing by-products in crop and livestock farming, while improving the soil environment.
But currently nationwide, only 180 establishments have been granted licenses to produce organic fertilizers, accounting for 24.5% of the total number of fertilizer production licenses granted by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Ministry of Industry and Trade (735 establishments).
The total capacity of organic fertilizer production facilities is 2.5 million tons/year, accounting for 8.5% of the total capacity of domestic fertilizer production facilities (29.5 million tons/year) and nearly 1/10 of the capacity of inorganic fertilizer production (26.7 million tons/year).
Therefore, at the conference, many experts made recommendations: This is clearly a very good opportunity for businesses to invest in the production of organic fertilizers to serve the production of organic agricultural products and high-quality agricultural products in the next 5-7 years.
Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Xuan Cuong asked businesses to actively apply technology to participate in the production of organic fertilizers to protect the environment, and pledged to have favorable policies to support business development. In addition, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development will also strengthen fertilizer quality inspection and restore order in fertilizer production and trading.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development recommends that the Government has a policy mechanism to support production capital, incentives in land allocation and lease as well as tax exemptions for organizations and individuals participating in organic fertilizer production. There should be a mechanism to support businesses in building brands and developing organic fertilizer production. It is recommended that localities encourage farmers to promote the use of organic fertilizers. Specialized inspection should be strengthened to minimize the situation of fake and poor quality fertilizers in the area.