China needs to cut use of chemical fertilizers: research

BEIJING (Reuters) – China, the world’s largest grain producer and top consumer of fertilizers, should reduce its reliance on chemical fertilizers by as much as 50 percent because excessive use has resulted in serious pollution, according to a research report.

…The report said farmers, particularly in northern China, used 40 percent more fertilizers than crops needed, resulting in about 10 million tons of fertilizer every year being discharged into water, polluting China’s rivers and lakes.

China produced 24 percent of the world’s total grain output, but its use of fertilizer accounted for about 35 percent of total global consumption. China’s grain production had increased more than eight-fold from the 1960s, while use of nitrogen fertilizers had surged by about 55 times, the report said.

It also urged the government to reduce subsidies to fertilizer makers and called for more support for farmers who use animal waste.

Reuters