Speaking at a seminar in Can Thoearlier this week, Vo Van Quyen, head of the ministry's MarketDepartment, said the country imports most of its ammonium sulphate,potassium, and DAP (diammonium phosphate) for its needs but isvirtually self-sufficient in most others.
By 2015 itwill fully meet its urea, phosphate and NPK (nitrogen, phosphorous andpotassium) needs as well as 70-80 percent of DAP and 30 percent of SAneeds, he said.
However, SA fertiliser has low content of protein and can be replaced with urea fertiliser, he said.
The department reported at the seminar that it carried out 1,057inspections in the first half of the year and uncovered 258 cases offake and low-quality fertilisers.
Nguyen Van Tuynh,deputy head of the department's southern office, said the problem ofspurious and low-quality fertilisers has become complicated.
Quyen said to efficiently manage the market, it is necessary toinspect the quality of fertilisers produced and sold, balance supply anddemand through storage policies, and regulate imports through tariffs.
Support policies are needed to improve thedistribution system to reduce the number of layers of middlemen tostabilise prices, he said.
Deputy Minister Ho Thi KimThoa said it is necessary to strengthen inspections since the sale offake and low-quality fertilisers has affected genuine traders andproducers and farmers.
The Government has ordered the ministry to draft a new decree for the management of the fertiliser market, she said.
Under the decree, the ministry would manage inorganic fertiliserswhile the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development would manageorganic ones, she said, adding penalties for violations would be mademore stringent.-VNA