On October 19, the 24th National Fertilizer Information Exchange and Product Trading Fair opened grandly in Qingdao, Shandong Province. This year’s conference is themed “Fertilizer and Water Management for Enhancing Grain Production Capacity,” and closely focuses on food security—the nation’s paramount concern—while aligning with the new round of initiatives aimed at boosting grain production capacity by 100 billion jin. The event features eight major exhibition areas, six forums, five selection activities, and on-site interviews, providing comprehensive support to both the supply and demand sides of soil, fertilizer, and water resources. It highlights the fair’s public-benefit role as a “weathervane” for industry development, a “compass” for systematic innovation, and a “major platform” for matching supply and demand. Zhang Tianzuo, Chief Veterinary Officer of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, delivered a speech and declared the conference open; Zhou Liwei, Vice Governor of Shandong Province, and Song Mingjie, Member of the Party Leadership Group and Vice Mayor of Qingdao Municipal Government, also gave speeches. The opening ceremony was chaired by Wei Qiwen, Director of the National Agricultural Technology Extension Center.

The 24th National Fertilizer Dual Fair Opens with Great Fanfare

The scene of the 24th National Fertilizer Dual Fair

Currently, global agriculture faces the challenges of water scarcity and land degradation. Efficient use of water and fertilizers has become a key factor in boosting food production capacity. Whether or not a harvest is achieved depends on water; the quantity of the harvest depends on fertilizer. Thus, both fertilizer and water play an irreplaceable role in ensuring food security. In recent years, critical core technologies such as soil-testing-based formulated fertilization, enhancement of soil organic matter, and water-saving agriculture have been gradually and widely adopted. The fertilizer utilization rate for the three major grain crops has reached 41.3%, and the area under water-saving agricultural practices has exceeded 400 million mu. These efforts have enabled grain production to remain stable at over 1.3 trillion jin for eight consecutive years. Fertilizer and water have made outstanding contributions to ensuring that Chinese people have sufficient food on their tables. Moving forward, we must further clarify and define the key roles, mechanism pathways, and technological models of fertilizer and water in enhancing food production capacity. We should guide the industry system to focus on its primary responsibilities and core business, maintain unwavering commitment to the autumn and winter planting work, strengthen the alignment between fertilizer supply and demand, and provide robust service guarantees. We must make every possible effort to ensure that sown areas are fully implemented, thereby contributing the strength of fertilizer and water to the comprehensive advancement of rural revitalization and the accelerated building of a strong agricultural nation.

Speech by Zhang Tianzuo, Chief Veterinary Officer of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs

At the meeting, five practical technology models with excellent yield-increasing effects, comprehensive technical support, and great potential for widespread adoption were also released, including: the “one spray, multiple promotions” foliar fertilization technology model for grain and oil crops; the “side-deep fertilization” technology model for rice; the “mechanical deep fertilization + drone topdressing + one spray for three protections” technology model for wheat; the ultra-deep loosening and layered fertilization technology model for dryland maize that achieves increased yields in a single application; and the integrated water-fertilizer drip irrigation technology model for maize that boosts per-unit yield.

Attending the event were Ke Bingsheng, former president of China Agricultural University; Yin Feihu, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering; Dou Pengfei, a second-level inspector in the Science and Education Department of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs; Li Zengyu, deputy director of the Crop Management Department of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs; Mei Xurong, vice president of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences; Zhang Hongqi, Party Secretary and Director of the Shandong Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs; Zhang Ye, Secretary of the National Agricultural Technology Extension Service Center; Chen Shengdou, President of the China Agricultural Technology Extension Association; and Gao Xiangzhao, chief expert at the National Agricultural Technology Extension Center. Nearly 2,000 representatives from soil, fertilizer, and water technology extension agencies, fertilizer companies, distributors, business entities, and media outlets across 31 provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities) nationwide attended the opening ceremony on-site. Following its opening, this year’s Dual Fair will continue until October 21.

Author: Dai Tiantian, reporter for Southern Rural Newspaper

Editor | Nong Cai Jun

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