The National Development and Reform Commission’s Guidance on Doing a Good Job with Spring Plowing in 2025 and...

Notice on Ensuring the Supply and Stabilizing Prices of Fertilizers Throughout the Year

National Development and Reform Commission & Ministry of Commerce [2025] No. 144

The Development and Reform Commissions of all provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities directly under the central government, as well as the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps; China National Railway Group Co., Ltd.; Agricultural Development Bank of China; China National Petroleum Corporation; China Petrochemical Corporation; China National Offshore Oil Corporation; State Grid Corporation of China; China Southern Power Grid Co., Ltd.; China Energy Investment Corporation; Sinochem Holdings Co., Ltd.; China Minmetals Corporation; China Development & Investment Corporation; China National Coal Industry Holding Co., Ltd.; China National Agricultural Development Group Co., Ltd.; China National Supply and Marketing Cooperative Group Co., Ltd.; Zhengzhou Commodity Exchange; National Coal Trading Center; China Nitrogen Fertilizer Industry Association; China Phosphate and Compound Fertilizer Industry Association; Potash and Potassium Fertilizer Branch of the China Inorganic Salts Industry Association; China Agricultural Means of Production Circulation Association; China Minmetals & Chemicals Import & Export Chamber of Commerce:
  With the spring plowing of 2025 imminent, and in order to ensure sufficient supply and stable prices of fertilizers for spring plowing as well as for agricultural production throughout the year, after consulting with the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, the Ministry of Transport, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, the Ministry of Commerce, the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council, the General Administration of Customs, the State Administration for Market Regulation, the China Securities Regulatory Commission, and the All-China Federation of Supply and Marketing Cooperatives, we hereby issue the following notice on relevant matters.
  1. Strengthen the assurance of fertilizer production and stabilize the supply of energy resources.
  The Development and Reform Commissions of all provinces, autonomous regions, municipalities directly under the central government, and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps (hereinafter referred to as “provincial-level Development and Reform Commissions”) and the departments in charge of industry and information technology shall work together to ensure the stable production of fertilizers and urge relevant enterprises to implement their minimum production plans. Enterprises with advanced environmental performance should be encouraged to fully utilize their production capacity and produce to the fullest extent possible. Efforts should be made to enhance the capacity to supply water for potash fertilizer production, which relies heavily on resources. Furthermore, efforts should be strengthened to coordinate the supply and demand of coal used in fertilizer production and to ensure adequate railway transportation capacity. Fertilizer producers, coal suppliers, and railways should be guided to sign medium- and long-term contracts among the three parties—production, transportation, and demand—following the trading model used for power coal. The National Coal Trading Center will provide convenient registration services for these contracts. Stable production of phosphate ore and smooth inter-provincial circulation of phosphate rock should also be ensured. China National Petroleum Corporation and China Petrochemical Corporation are required to step up efforts to guarantee the supply of natural gas needed for fertilizer production, and any sulfur produced should be prioritized for supply to domestic phosphate fertilizer manufacturers.
  II. Strengthen transportation coordination and align production with sales to promote the efficient circulation of fertilizers.
  Provincial-level development and reform commissions and relevant authorities should ensure smooth waterway and road transportation of fertilizers and their production raw materials. They should leverage the role of enterprises within the supply-and-marketing cooperative system as the primary channel for agricultural input distribution, accelerate the delivery of fertilizers to grassroots distribution outlets, and guarantee an uninterrupted and stable supply of fertilizers at the grassroots level. Railways must strictly implement preferential railway freight rates for agricultural fertilizers, strengthen coordination of transport capacity between production and sales regions, and especially ensure adequate transport capacity for phosphate fertilizers from the southwest region as well as potash fertilizers from Qinghai and Xinjiang. Key fertilizer producers and distributors such as Sinochem, China National Coal Group, and China National Supply and Marketing Cooperative Group should set an exemplary standard by taking the lead in establishing fertilizer purchase-and-sale models based on shared risks and mutual benefits, thereby enhancing the efficiency and stability of supply-demand matching.
  III. Strengthen the management of fertilizer reserves and fully leverage their reserve functions.
  Provincial-level Development and Reform Commissions, in collaboration with relevant parties, shall guide storage enterprises to implement their reserve tasks efficiently and in compliance with regulations, coordinate to resolve difficulties in sourcing goods, transportation and distribution, and financing loans, and ensure that reserved commodities are released on time. They should also strengthen coordination and synergy among commercial fertilizer reserves at different levels, achieving complementary functions in terms of reserve scale, product mix, and the timing of reserve establishment and release. The Agricultural Development Bank shall leverage its role as a policy bank to increase credit support for fertilizer reserve operations. The Zhengzhou Commodity Exchange shall provide specialized services such as hedging to assist storage enterprises in fulfilling their reserve obligations.
  4. Strengthen the management of fertilizer import and export services to maintain order in import and export activities.
  The provincial-level Development and Reform Commissions shall, in collaboration with relevant parties, urge and guide fertilizer production and distribution enterprises within their jurisdictions to actively fulfill their social responsibilities, comply with regulations governing fertilizer trade, and prioritize ensuring domestic supply. They should also coordinate to ensure that vessels transporting imported raw materials for fertilizer production—such as potash fertilizer, phosphate rock, and sulfur—are given priority access to ports and smooth loading and unloading operations, and enhance the efficiency of cargo handling and transshipment at border ports. Potash fertilizer importers, as the primary players in this sector, should expand and optimize their import channels.
  V. Strengthen the regulation of the fertilizer market and maintain a healthy market environment.
  Provincial-level development and reform commissions and relevant authorities should strengthen market price monitoring and coordination for fertilizer products, and strictly investigate and punish all types of price-related violations. They should also intensify efforts to combat counterfeit fertilizers and enhance the participation of grassroots organizations such as village committees. The Zhengzhou Commodity Exchange should strengthen its penetrating regulatory oversight of urea futures, improve the urea futures delivery system, optimize delivery arrangements, facilitate enterprises’ participation in deliveries, enhance the overall quality of market operations, and better serve the real economy. Relevant trade associations should step up their efforts to release information on fertilizer supply, demand, and prices, and promptly dispel market rumors. They should also reinforce the development and application of social responsibility and credit-rating systems in the fertilizer sector, guiding member enterprises to actively participate in ensuring fertilizer supply and stabilizing prices.
  6. Strengthen agrochemical services and promote scientific fertilization.
  Provincial-level Development and Reform Commissions should encourage relevant parties to strengthen public awareness campaigns and technical guidance on scientific fertilization practices. They should also promote the integrated adoption of new technologies, products, and equipment that meet the requirements of scientific fertilization, and encourage soil-testing-based, formula-specific fertilization as well as increased application of organic fertilizers. Agrochemical distribution enterprises such as Sinochem and China National Supply and Marketing Cooperative Group should actively engage in services including unified soil testing and formulation, intelligent fertilizer blending, and outsourced fertilization and management, thereby enhancing their capacity to provide socialized agricultural services.
  All relevant units must fully recognize the importance of ensuring the stable supply and prices of fertilizers in safeguarding farmers’ enthusiasm for grain production and ensuring national food security. They should promptly organize, deploy, and implement the corresponding tasks to ensure that these measures are effectively carried out and yield tangible results. Provincial Development and Reform Commissions shall take the lead in coordinating fertilizer supply and price stabilization efforts within their respective regions, working closely with relevant agencies to address issues arising in the production, transportation, stockpiling, sales, and application of fertilizers. The 13 major grain-producing provinces should establish special task forces dedicated to ensuring the stable supply and prices of fertilizers for spring plowing; other provinces may, as appropriate, follow their example and launch similar initiatives.
  Hereby notified.
 

National Development and Reform Commission

February 5, 2025