VietNamNet Bridge - Vietnamese farmers have been overusing chemical fertilizers, but within five to 10 years, organic fertilizers are expected to be more commonly used, experts say. 

Organic fertilizers are expected to be more commonly used

After opening a fertilizer plant in Long Hau IZ in Can Giuoc district in Long An province in late March, Binh Dien II JSC is moving ahead with a plan to invest VND200 billion more in an organic fertilizer production line.

Le Quoc Phong, chair of Binh Dien II, said in the second phase of development, the plant would provide 40-50 tons of nano organic fertilizer, a new-generation fertilizer. 

Binh Dien II still doesn’t have 100 percent organic fertilizer, but it has added next-generation organic elements combined with smart micronutrients to inorganic fertilizers to help improve the soil.

The plan shows the manufacturer’s cautious steps in organizing organic fertilizer production as the demand for organic fertilizer remains very modest. 

According to the Ministry of Agriculture & Rural Development (MARD), organic fertilizer now amounts to 10 percent of total output and 5 percent of total consumption volume in Vietnam. 

Three Binh Dien’s plants, including Binh Dien Lam Dong, Binh Dien Me Kong and Binh Dien Quang Tri, are making organic fertilizer, but with limited output, totalling 60,000-70,000 tons a year, or 10 percent of its total output.

“Our organic fertilizer output is still small because of low demand. We will step up production as soon as we see good signs from the market,” said Phan Van Tam, marketing director.

Director general of Daito Organic JSC Nguyen Van Linh cited a report of the Department of Crop Production as saying that Vietnam has more than 300 organic fertilizer manufacturing establishments, of which only 120 have been licensed, while the other 200 are still awaiting licenses. 

The establishments each year provide 1.5 million tons of organic fertilizer to the market.

Specific standards

The government is encouraging the production and use of organic fertilizer. MARD has requested plants to produce at least 30 percent of organic fertilizer.

However, the problem is that no one can force farmers to use 100 percent organic fertilizer in cultivation. It is necessary to explain to farmers the uses of organic fertilizer and persuade them to use it to improve the soil.

However, Vo Tong Xuan, a leading agriculture expert, said farmers do not want to use organic fertilizer because the plants cannot grow as quickly as other plants. 

Some manufacturers mix inorganic elements with organic fertilizer products.

General director of Vinamit JSC Nguyen Lam Vien confirmed that he had discovered inorganic elements in many organic fertilizers he has used.

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