A field of rice grown using organic fertiliser in the southern province of Long An.

It aims for the country to export half a million tonnes of the natural alternative and for the domestic market to consume three million tonnes by the end of 2020.

The target was announced at a conference on August 28 in Hanoi about producing, using and improving organic fertilisers.

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Xuan Cuong said the target was attainable because Vietnam was on track to export about 100,000 tonnes of organic fertilisers this year.

Vietnam has exported organic fertilisers to 35 countries so far, with the amount increasing year by year.

Last year, as many as 24 enterprises exported 86,000 tonnes, seven times more than in 2015.

Cuong said Vietnam had great potential due to its raw materials resources.

Each year, the agricultural sector produces about 40 million tonnes of straw, sugarcane and maize dregs, more than 25 million tonnes of livestock and poultry droppings and 4.6 million tonnes of rice husks. The country has about 36,000 tonnes of brown coal in mines.

If the country could make use of these raw materials, pollution in rural areas would be reduced, said Cuong.

“Vietnam should change to a smart, clean and organic agriculture model and consider it an indispensable trend,” said Cuong.

Nguyen Dinh Hac Thuy, chairman of the Fertiliser Association of Vietnam, agreed, saying that with efforts from the central to grassroots level, the country has set up a foundation for organic production.

More than 2,400 organic fertiliser products are in circulation in Vietnam, 3.5 times more than in 2017.

Many organic fertiliser plants were equipped with modern production lines to make high-quality products, said Thuy.

Cuong proposed completing policies related to organic fertilisers by finalising the Law on Cultivation and preferential policies for enterprises investing in agriculture and rural areas.

Hoang Trung, Director of the Plant Protection Department, said that over recent years, fertiliser management has been tightened with a system of laws and policies.

Quality standards were being compiled including laboratory supervision and fertiliser tests.

Trung said to promote quality organic products, experts should conduct studies on environmentally friendly fertiliser, improve the soil and give more training to improve farmers’ awareness of the long-term effect of organic solutions.

Nguyen Hong Lam, chairman of the Que Lam Group’s board of directors, said that to foster fertiliser production, it is most important to build customers’ trust.

If farmers avoid chemical fertilisers, they will have better health and clean agricultural products for consumers, said Lam.-VNS/VNA