Right Time for Industrializing Organic Fertilizers     
By Cheng Changjin, CNCIC   

Human once shifted their preference from coarse grains such as corn to fine grains such as rice and wheat, but now that trend is reversing, because coarser grains are now found to be necessary for a healthier diet. Cotton based fabrics were once most popular, and then they gave way to chemical fiber fabrics, but now the clothing market is returning to the blending of cotton based fabrics and chemical fiber fabrics, which are viewed as improving the quality of life. Many such spiral developments can be discovered in people's actions. Most importantly and commonly, life tends to be more scientific and rational.
    After scientists put forward the concept of chemical fertilizers 160 years ago, chemical fertilizers gradually replaced organic (manure) fertilizers, making a significant contribution to agricultural development. However, excessive and irrational application of chemical fertilizers brought about soil compaction in some areas, environmental pollution, a decline in agricultural products' quality and other problems. Therefore, the Ministry of Agriculture of China inaugurated a fertilizing-soil project to increase organic matter content in soil during the 10th Five-year Program (2001-2005) and widely promoted organic fertilizers during the 11th Five-year Program (2006-2010). Many documents from the central government also encourage farmers to increase the use of organic fertilizers.
    At present, China's organic fertilizer industry has taken shape, but commercial organic fertilizers have not been used on farmland in large scale, so what is the proper development target for organic fertilizers?  Deep discussions were witnessed in the First China Organic Fertilizers Industry Summit held by China National Chemical Information Center in Zhengzhou, Henan province in November 13th-15th.

Emphasizing both chemical fertilizers and organic fertilizers is the way to develop   

Soil applied with single component of chemical fertilizer cannot achieve nutrient balance and maintain strong soil fertility for crops. A common message at the conference was that the land also needs its "meal" structure changed frequently. This "meal" has tended to change from the traditional organic fertilizers (farm manures) to inorganic chemical fertilizers, but now both experts and farmers are paying more attention to organic fertilizers. Although farm manures have a history of thousands of years as an important source of organic fertilizers, they are not equal to the industrialized organic fertilizers discussed here. To develop commercialized organic fertilizers China should take an industrial road with equal focus on inorganic chemical fertilizers and organic fertilizers.
    Inorganic chemical fertilizers combined with organic fertilizers can supplement soil organic matters, greatly reduce soil compaction, increase the efficiency of chemical fertilizers, and reduce both secondary environmental pollution and resource waste.

Organic fertilizers meet the requirements of environmental protection   

Here is a good example of industrialization of organic fertilizers. Henan Lianhua Monosodium Glutamate Co., Ltd. (Lianhua Monosodium Glutamate) once directly discharged a range of waste effluent in the process of fermenting cereals to make monosodium glutamate. The company has paid huge cost for the waste treatment, which nearly caused the company to go into bankruptcy. Now the waste water has been developed to produce high-quality organic fertilizers. This conversion saves tens of millions of RMB of expenses for pollution treatment and earns hundreds of millions of RMB in revenue every year.
   China has a large-scale fermentation industry, which mainly produces gourmet powder, brewing wine, vinegar, soy sauce and citric acid. According to the statistics, China's fermentation firms generalized 60 million tons of residues in 2007, causing serious pollution to the rivers, lakes and oceans. However, if those can be recycled to produce the massive commercial organic fertilizer, and further be co-used with chemical fertilizers, it will save a great deal of resources.

Commercialization of organic fertilizers needs government support   

While both are essential fertilizers in agriculture, chemical fertilizer producers are enjoying many preferential policies, but the commercial organic fertilizer producers get no support. This unbalanced situation has restricted the development of organic fertilizers. Chinese governments should give policy support in terms of electricity prices, transport expenses and tax rates, to promote the development of the organic fertilizer industry.
    Due to the low technological innovation level in China, most organic fertilizer producers are still in extensive and rough developmental stage, and the new advanced organic fertilizers do not draw attention and get promotion. Awareness of organic fertilizers other than feces is poor. The current organic fertilizers should include not only traditional farm manure - feces and garbage - for further development, but also organic-inorganic compound fertilizers, residue fertilizers, eco-fertilizers, humic acid and so on, which are new types of organic fertilizers that are advantageous for application.
    The development of the commercial organic fertilizer industry is in an initial stage. There must be strict standards to regulate the emerging industry. Otherwise, farmers may suffer from counterfeit as has happened in the compound fertilizer industry. Especially organic fertilizers, numerous and jumbled organic sources include municipal solid waste, sewage sludge, excrement and so on, which possibly carry disease, and if applied to food crops, could seriously endanger the safety of humans and animals.

Influence of organic fertilizers on chemical fertilizers   

At present and in the long term, chemical fertilizers will still be essential for the yield increment of field crops, but now many urban residents have already realized the function of organic fertilizers for improving economic crops quality, and in the pursuit of "green food", it can be said that organic fertilizers have taken a new role in economic crops production.
    In terms of promoting sustainable development of agriculture and improving soil fertility, scientifically balanced employment of organic fertilizers and chemical fertilizers also occupies certain status in the field. No matter whether fertilizers are used in the form of organic-inorganic compound fertilizers, or used alternatively between organic fertilizers and inorganic chemical fertilizers, organic fertilizers can reduce the use of chemical fertilizers and promote effective utilization of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium in chemical fertilizers. In brief, the organic fertilizer industry will undoubtedly has an impact on the demand for chemical fertilizers.
   Therefore, the chemical fertilizer enterprises are encouraged to seize the chance to adjust their product portfolio promptly in this difficult time. In particular, the compound fertilizer enterprises should transform from promoting quantity growth to pursuing quality enhancement, or take their own industrialized advantages to try to enter organic fertilizer production, thus further promoting organic fertilizer industry's development.
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