State to develop fertiliser plan

The control of fertiliser production and distribution systems, to be
approved this month, is expected to benefit both farmers and businesses.

Speaking at a conference on Oct. 12 outlining fertiliser production
development for the next 10 years, the Deputy Minister of Industry and
Trade (MIT), Nguyen Hai Nam , said fertiliser is a strategic product
that helps ensure national food security.

Although
the Government has cooperated closely with the Vietnam Fertiliser
Association in planning fertiliser production and quality, farmers are
still faced with shortages and "price fever" when demand soars before
planting, said Phung Ha, head of MIT's Department of Chemicals.

Secretary of the association Nguyen Hac Thuy said there has been no
clear development strategy for the fertiliser industry and that demand
is unpredictable.

According to the association,
farmers lose 1.2 trillion VND (60 million USD) each year due to the
low-quality and fake fertiliser products.

This
year, the nation's demand for fertiliser is forecast to reach 9.1
million tonnes, but domestic production can satisfy only 60 percent of
this.

A report from An Giang University's Economics
Faculty claims farmers have to buy fertilisers at prices 30-40 percent
higher than those offered by producers. They often have to buy
low-quality products from small firms because State authorities can only
supervise large fertiliser companies.

Ha said one
of the reasons fertiliser prices are often unstable was that
distribution systems develop spontaneously. Products come to farmers
through many middlemen.

Ha said when planning is
approved, fertiliser distribution systems will develop based on the
establishment of agricultural economic areas, demand in each area, the
characteristics of local economic activities and farmers' purchasing
practices.

Under the plan, from now to 2015,
fertiliser distribution centres will be set up in Lao Cai, Phu Tho, Bac
Giang, Hai Duong, Ninh Binh, Nghe An, Da Nang, Binh Dinh, Dac Lac, Lam
Dong, Long An, An Giang, Can Tho and Kien Giang.

Ha
said to make planning more efficient, State agencies should change
their ways of management. He added that producers must be granted
certificates setting out conditions for business required by the
Ministry of Industry and Trade. Otherwise they should not be allowed to
trade.

He said this would help weed out small-scale companies using old technology and those producing low-quality fertiliser./.

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State to develop fertiliser plan

Fertiliser is packaged at a plant in HCM City's Cu Chi District which supplies fertilisers for agricultural production in southern provinces. Fertilisers are seen by the Government as a strategic product. — VNA/VNS Photo Hoang Hai

HA NOI — The control of fertiliser production and distribution systems, to be approved this month, is expected to benefit both farmers and businesses.

Speaking at a conference on Tuesday outlining fertiliser production development for the next 10 years, the Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade (MIT), Nguyen Hai Nam, said fertiliser was a strategic product that helped ensure national food security.

Although the Government had co-operated closely with the Viet Nam Fertiliser Association in planning fertiliser production and quality, farmers were still faced with shortages and "price fever" when demand soared before planting, said Phung Ha, head of MIT's Department of Chemicals.

Secretary of the association Nguyen Hac Thuy said there had been no clear development strategy for the fertiliser industry and that demand was unpredictable.

According to the association, farmers lose VND1.2 trillion (US$60 million) each year due to the low-quality and fake fertiliser products.

This year, the nation's demand for fertiliser is forecast to reach 9.1 million tonnes, but domestic production can satisfy only 60 per cent of this.

A report from An Giang University's Economics Faculty claims farmers have to buy fertilisers at prices 30-40 per cent higher than those offered by producers. They often have to buy low-quality products from small firms because State authorities can only supervise large fertiliser companies.

Ha said one of the reasons fertiliser prices were often unstable was that distribution systems developed spontaneously. Products came to farmers through many middlemen.

Ha said when planning was approved, fertiliser distribution systems would develop based on the establishment of agricultural economic areas, demand in each area, the characteristics of local economic activities and farmers' purchasing practices.

Under the plan, from now to 2015, fertiliser distribution centres will be set up in Lao Cai, Phu Tho, Bac Giang, Hai Duong, Ninh Binh, Nghe An, Da Nang, Binh Dinh, Dac Lac, Lam Dong, Long An, An Giang, Can Tho and Kien Giang.

Phan Dinh Duc, general director of PetroVietnam Fertiliser and Chemicals Joint Stock Company, suggested that small-scale producers who did not have the financial capacity to build their own distribution systems could join those of larger companies.

Ha said to make planning more efficient, State agencies should change their ways of management. He added that producers must be granted certificates setting out conditions for business required by the Ministry of Industry and Trade. Otherwise they should not be allowed to trade.

He said this would help weed out small-scale companies using old technology and those producing low-quality fertiliser.

Head of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development's Planting Department Nguyen Tri Ngoc said management of fertiliser distribution systems should be placed in the hands of one authority to prevent overlapping among ministries and agencies.

Tri added that production standards should be completed to enable management of the industry to be tightened. — VNS

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Enterpirses urge fertiliser development strategy

Fertiliser prices have increased following the appreciation of the US dollar against the Vietnamese dong as well as higher prices on the global market

There has been no clear development strategy for the fertiliser industry and that demand is unpredictable, has said the industry association.

 The control of fertiliser production and distribution systems, to be approved this month, is expected to benefit both farmers and businesses.

At a recent conference outlining fertiliser production development for the next 10 years, the Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade (MIT), Nguyen Hai Nam , said fertiliser is a strategic product that helps ensure national food security.

Although the Government has cooperated closely with the Vietnam Fertiliser Association in planning fertiliser production and quality, farmers are still faced with shortages and "price fever" when demand soars before planting, said Phung Ha, head of MIT's Department of Chemicals.

Secretary of the association Nguyen Hac Thuy said there has been no clear development strategy for the fertiliser industry and that demand is unpredictable.

According to the association, farmers lose VND1.2 trillion (US$60 million) each year due to the low-quality and fake fertiliser products.

This year, the nation's demand for fertiliser is forecast to reach 9.1 million tonnes, but domestic production can satisfy only 60 percent of this.

A report from An Giang University's Economics Faculty claims farmers have to buy fertilisers at prices 30-40 percent higher than those offered by producers. They often have to buy low-quality products from small firms because State authorities can only supervise large fertiliser companies.

Ha said one of the reasons fertiliser prices are often unstable was that distribution systems develop spontaneously. Products come to farmers through many middlemen.

Ha said when planning is approved, fertiliser distribution systems will develop based on the establishment of agricultural economic areas, demand in each area, the characteristics of local economic activities and farmers' purchasing practices.

Under the plan, from now to 2015, fertiliser distribution centres will be set up in Lao Cai, Phu Tho, Bac Giang, Hai Duong, Ninh Binh, Nghe An, Da Nang, Binh Dinh, Dac Lac, Lam Dong, Long An, An Giang, Can Tho and Kien Giang.

Ha said to make planning more efficient, State agencies should change their ways of management.

 He added that producers must be granted certificates setting out conditions for business required by the Ministry of Industry and Trade. Otherwise they should not be allowed to trade.

He said this would help weed out small-scale companies using old technology and those producing low-quality fertiliser.

 

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