Chemical fertilizer application and supply in crop farming in China in 2013

【Objectives】 The annual chemical fertilizer consumption is huge in the agriculture production in China. Although there are authority data about the national wide consumption amounts of nitrogenous, phosphate and potash fertilizers from the National Bureau of Statistics, the details of fertilizer application in different regions, seasons and crops are in deficiency. More information is necessary for making policies guiding fertilizer production and provision.【Methods】 In this paper, the data were collected from the state owned 339 retailers all over the country, and thirty farmers were chosen from each retailer at random. The information of each farmer in crop plant area, N, P, K and compound fertilizer inputs were reviewed by local governments before accepted. The data in year of 2013 was separately counted in three seasons: spring (Jan.-May), summer (Jun.-Aug.) and autumn and winter (Sep.-Dec.) following the customs and statistical habits. Using province, similar cropping pattern regions and whole country graded weighted average method step by step, the unit fertilizer input in different regions, seasons and crops were calculated. Then, the whole year and seasonal fertilizer input of a crop were deducted from the unit fertilizer input, the total growing areas of the crop and the percentage of fertilizer area in the total planting area in the samples. Meanwhile, the fertilizer inputs in different crops, the fertilizer supplying and demand as well as the farmers fertilizer purchasing behaviors in different regions and seasons were analyzed. 【Results】The total of pure chemical fertilizer inputs was 5498104 t in crop farming in 2013.Among them, nitrogen fertilizer was 3382104 t, phosphate fertilizer 1175104 t, and potash fertilizer 941104 t. The total fertilizer consume in grain crops was 2782104 t, which accounted for 50.6% of totalcrop farming fertilizer application, the second was fruits and vegetables, the top three crops account for 82.8% of the whole crop farming. The unit area input of fertilizer in cash crops was higher than in grain crops. The ratios of the fertilizer application in spring, summer and autumn-winter season accounted for 34.2%, 35.6%, 30.2% respectively. Farmers prefer to purchase compound fertilizer and urea. In the survey of 2013, the number of farmers using urea and compound fertilizer accounted for 72.5% and 71.6% of total samples, in spring, summer and autumn-winter seasons, the numbers of using urea and compound fertilizer were 70.9% and 62.9%, 84.9% and 78.1%, and 56.6% and 83.9%. In spring and summer seasons, urea was chosen most farmers, but compound fertilize in autumn-winter season. Urea was purchased by most farmers in northeast, northwest, central and south China, but compound fertilizer in north china, southwest and east china. The surplus amounts of nitrogen fertilizer and phosphate fertilizer were 1080104 and 680104 tons, but potassium fertilizer was in deficient about 370104 t in 2013.The most popular fertilizer formula is N-P2O5-K2O:15-15-15, which accounted for 33.3% of total compound fertilizer samples. The unreasonable fertilizer consumption was mainly caused by the supply of fertilizer market. 【Conclusions】 The nutrient consumption and supply proportion are still not reasonable in China. It is strongly suggested to cut down the over-high capacity of urea and phosphate fertilizer production, increase the supply of potash fertilizer, optimize fertilizer nutrient supply structure and extend the scientific fertilization technology.