On June 1, 2020, the Nitro-Calcium-Magnesium Fertilizer Branch of the China Nitrogen Association and its member companies participated in the 6th China International Special Fertilizer Conference, organized by the media outlet “Agricultural Inputs & Market.” This year’s conference was themed “Rebuilding a New Path for Special Fertilizers in the Fight Against the Pandemic,” focusing on the vibrant Sichuan-Chongqing region while gaining insights into the national market. In these extraordinary times, the conference provided an in-depth analysis of the future trends of China’s special fertilizers during this period of transformation and pivotal transition! The conference drew over a thousand participants, including Zhang Huzhu from the China Agricultural Technology Extension Association, Feng Weidong, Editor-in-Chief of “Agricultural Inputs & Market,” Liu Chunxiong, founder of New Marketing, Xin Jingshu, Chief Expert and Researcher at the National Agricultural Technology Extension Center, and Dr. Nils Berger, a senior agrochemical expert from Belgium.

I. Zhang Huzhu—Green ecology has become the mainstream direction for agriculture.

China Agricultural Technology Extension Association, Zhang Huzhu

Zhang Huzhu stated: The central government has emphasized the need to vigorously advance supply-side structural reform in agriculture, enhance the quality of agricultural supply, and keep pace with the upgrading of consumer demand. Agricultural production must focus on green, ecological, and sustainable development, facilitating a shift from quantity-based to quality-based agriculture. At the same time, we must promote green production practices to ensure the sustainable development capacity of agriculture. As China’s agricultural production has shifted from overall quantity-based contradictions to structural ones, optimizing the structure of agricultural products, boosting the quality and efficiency of agriculture, and addressing the imbalance in agricultural product structures have become critical to the country’s agricultural development. In today’s era, when specialty fertilizers are “flourishing in variety and available in every household,” some agrochemical enterprises have failed to keep up with new trends and emerging demands, causing their products to degenerate into mere conventional fertilizers. Therefore, only by transforming themselves toward “high-quality, specialized, and niche” offerings—moving toward higher technological content, superior product quality, and enhanced value-added services—can specialty fertilizer companies secure a firm foothold and remain invincible in the fiercely competitive agrochemical market.

II. Feng Weidong—At the Moment of the Campaign, Rebuilding a New Growth Path for Specialty Fertilizers

Feng Weidong, Editor-in-Chief of “Agricultural Inputs and Market”

In the 19th century, the renowned British economist Malthus argued that, if diminishing returns did not exist, it would be possible to grow enough food in a single flowerpot to feed the entire world’s population. However, the marginal benefit of fertilizers in boosting crop yields is diminishing. In the 1950s, the ratio of grain yield to fertilizer application was 40:1; by 2010, this ratio had fallen to just 13:1. During this period, grain production increased by a factor of 2.6, while fertilizer use rose by a factor of 11. In the 1980s and 1990s, developed countries, after reaching peak fertilizer usage levels, gradually began reducing their fertilizer applications. By 2000, compared to their peak years, Germany, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Japan, and France used only 60% of their former amounts; South Korea, the United States, Israel, and Ireland used roughly 80% to 90%. China is also currently undertaking a “double reduction” initiative.

Globally, each year, preventing crop yield losses of 30% to 40% and averting economic losses totaling 300 billion U.S. dollars, China alone can prevent grain losses of approximately 31.5 million tons per year, cotton losses of 1.15 million tons per year, and oilseed losses of 1.5 million tons per year, thereby saving an estimated 30 billion yuan in economic losses annually.

Pesticides will continue to provide technological support for agricultural production, guiding it toward healthier and more sustainable development. Today, professional farmers are pursuing two key directions: quality agriculture and reducing input while enhancing efficiency.

From 2009 to 2018, China’s fruit production consistently increased. However, we must also recognize that the volume of imports has been rising steadily year after year. As a result, China’s fruit market is characterized by both oversupply and insufficient demand. Against this backdrop, specialized fertilizers—through the approach of plant nutrition—are moving from the background to the forefront. Feng Weidong stated: To re-establish a new growth trajectory, we can start from four key areas: focusing on specific functions, targeting key markets, concentrating on priority crops, and strengthening critical connections.

III. Xin Jingshu: Promote reduced use and increased efficiency of chemical fertilizers to foster green agricultural development.

Xin Jingshu, Chief Expert and Research Fellow at the National Agricultural Technology Extension Center

The application of chemical fertilizers has underpinned China’s food security and the supply of essential agricultural products. By enhancing soil fertility and compensating for insufficient arable land, chemical fertilizer use has significantly boosted crop biomass yields. Moreover, returning crop residues to the fields has increased soil organic matter and nutrient content. This has ensured national food security and the stable supply of key agricultural products, laying a solid foundation for the country’s economic and social development. The use of chemical fertilizers has also strongly supported initiatives such as converting farmland back into forests, grasslands, and lakes, thereby greatly improving the ecological environment. However, there are still pressing challenges and bottlenecks that need to be addressed, including high fertilizer application intensity, uneven fertilizer distribution, low utilization rates of organic fertilizer resources, and an imbalanced fertilizer application structure.

In response, new requirements have been put forward for the green development of agriculture. The use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides for major crops has achieved zero growth, and the utilization rates of both fertilizers and pesticides have reached 40% (with higher targets set for the nine provinces and cities in the Yangtze River basin—by 2020, the total amount of chemical fertilizers was to be reduced by 3%–5%). The comprehensive utilization rate of straw has reached 85%, the comprehensive utilization rate of livestock and poultry waste has reached 75%, and the recycling rate of agricultural plastic film has reached 80%. The nation’s overall grain (cereal) production capacity has remained stable at over 550 million tons, the level of agricultural product quality and safety has significantly improved, and the proportion of branded agricultural products has risen markedly. Leisure agriculture and rural tourism are accelerating their development. Strict management will be enforced over the production and use of agricultural inputs, with support provided for the production of agricultural inputs that feature low consumption, low residue, and low pollution. Joint scientific and technological research efforts will also be launched, focusing on green agricultural production.

In 2020, agricultural production will focus on “safeguarding the bottom line, optimizing structure, and improving quality.” We will deepen efforts to reduce fertilizer use while enhancing its efficiency, raising the fertilizer utilization rate to over 40% and maintaining a negative growth trend in overall fertilizer consumption. We will also vigorously promote the substitution of organic fertilizers for chemical fertilizers. Emphasis will be placed on key measures to reduce fertilizer use and enhance efficiency, guided by the principles of ensuring stable production, reducing costs and boosting efficiency, adapting to local conditions, proceeding step by step, taking a holistic and integrated approach, and being led by the government with participation from multiple stakeholders—thus effectively promoting scientific fertilization practices.