HCM City (VNS/VNA) - An expected risein demand for organic fertilisers has sparked many companies to invest more inproduction.

The Binh Dien II Fertiliser Joint StockCompany opened a plant in March with a capacity to produce 100,000 tonnes ayear in southern Long An province, which in its first phase produces organicand microbial fertilisers and high-grade NPK fertilisers.

The company plans to invest 200 billion VND(8.77 million USD) to annually produce 40,000-50,000 tonnes of nano organicfertiliser, a new generation of fertilisers, from next year.

Nguyen Kim Thoa, general director of Con CoVang Group, said her company already supplies organic fertilisers to the marketand plans to dedicate an 11ha plant to produce them.

Many companies have shifted to organicproducts to meet demand for safe agricultural produce.

According to the Ministry of Agricultureand Rural Development, as of the end of last year, 180 establishments had beenlicensed to produce 2.5 million tonnes of organic fertilisers a year, or 8.5 percentof total output.

Meanwhile, statistics show import oforganic fertilisers rocketing in recent years. Last year, 220,000 tonnes wereimported, double the 2016 volume.

The ministry said Vietnam has greatpotential in organic fertiliser production since annually around 60-70 milliontonnes of agricultural by-products and 20 million of seafood by-products areproduced.

The by-products can be used as rawmaterials for making organic fertilisers, but they have not been fullyexploited for a long time, it said.

This will also help reduce pollution andimprove soil fertility and farm produce quality, it said.

Nguyen Dinh Hac Thuy of the Viet NamFertiliser Association said long-term use of chemical fertilisers worsens thequality of not only soil but also crops themselves.

Many countries have shifted to organicagriculture to ensure sustainability, food safety and consumers’ health, and itis time to increase the production and use of organic fertilisers to fosterorganic farming in Viet Nam, he said.

But according to experts, promoting theiruse remains difficult since farmers still prefer the quick impact of chemicalproducts.

Minister of Agriculture and Rural DevelopmentNguyen Xuan Cuong said last year the Government issued Decree No 108/2017/ND-CPon fertiliser management with policies to boost organic fertiliser production.

Using organic fertilisers is an inevitabletrend and it is time to focus on solutions from the Government and enterprisesto encourage farmers to use them, he said.

A growing number of enterprises who collaboratewith farmers have switched to the use of organic fertilisers since demand forsuch produce is increasing.-VNA