China works further towards sustainable farming with organic fertilizers
To curb the overuse of chemicals in agriculture, China is promoting bio-fertilizers as an alternative. But change comes with a price, as organic fertilizers cost around four times as much as their chemical brethren. The situation begs the question of whether Chinese farmers can go green without government support.
The pilot program is part of China's effort to switch to alternative organic fertilizers. They plan to use targeted fertilization, the integration of water and fertilizer, as well as promoting green disease and pest control to ensure chemical fertilizer and pesticide consumption stops rising by 2020. The task is immense. National chemical fertilizer use amounts to around one-third of the world's total consumption.
The amount of chemical fertilizers used in fruit growing in China per mu (0.067 hectares) is more than twice the figure of Japan, six times the figure of the US and seven times of that of the EU."Long-time reliance on chemical fertilizers to boost production has resulted in hardening and secondary salinization of soil, as well as pollution," Guo said.
source: globaltimes.cn
