Vietnam will have to import about 19.43 million tons of fertilizer of all kinds between now and 2010 in order meet agricultural production demand, according to the Vietnam Chemical Corporation (Vinachem).
As a result, nearly 4.9 million tons of fertilizers will be imported annually into Vietnam over that time.
Urea, potassium, SA nitrogenous, DAP and MAP are the most common imported fertilizers.
Despite a total output of 30 million tons of fertilizer of all kinds from now to 2010, domestic supply will not be able to meet the high demand, said the corporation. This is true even considering the Dinh Vu factory and the Ca Mau plant, with an annual capacity of 330,000 tons of DAP and 800,000 tons of nitrogenous fertilizer, respectively, which are scheduled to become operational between 2008-2010.
According to Vinachem, Vietnam will only be able to produce sufficient fertilizers for farmers in 2011 when the Ninh Binh urea fertilizer plant with an annual capacity of 560,000 tons, and the new production line of the Bac Giang fertilizer factory with annual capacity of 300,000 tons, start running.
In the first two months of this year, the country imported 471,000 tons of fertilizers of different kinds totaling US$97 million, posting respective year-on-year increases of 37.9 per cent and 36.6 per cent.
Vietnam’s total demand for fertilizers in 2007 is estimated at nearly 7.9 million tons, and domestic supplies are likely to stand at 4.7 million tons, according to the Trade Ministry.
Last year, Vietnam imported over 3 million tons of fertilizers, including 708,000 tons of urea, totaling US$673 million, up 5.9 per cent and 5.1 per cent, respectively, against the year earlier, said the statistics office.
The country, home to over 150 fertilizer producers with annual capacity ranging from 500 tons to one million tons, plans to build four major fertilizer plants with a combined annual capacity of nearly 1.8 million tons in the 2005-2010 period. (Vietnam & World Economy)
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