Fake fertilizer, real damage
During the harvest season, in the production areas of Quang Son commune, Dak Glong district (Dak Nong), a vast green color appears after the rains.
However, behind those rich green colors, farmers have witnessed countless times their crops withering and dying because of fake and poor quality fertilizers. Falling into such a situation, all the efforts of the farmers over the years are lost in a moment of regret.
Mr. Do Khac Thang’s family in Quang Son commune, Dak Glong district (Dak Nong) has been growing vegetables and cultivating coffee for more than 10 years. We still remember the days in July, in the drizzle, when we visited him while his family was harvesting summer-autumn carrots.
The land of Quang Son commune is famous for its fertility. Just drop seeds into the soil and the plants will grow and flower and bear fruit. But to increase productivity, people also apply the fertilization process according to the "4 rights" principle: right medicine, right time, right dosage-concentration and right method.
Despite being extremely vigilant, Mr. Thang has encountered fake, poor quality fertilizers many times. After applying fertilizer for a few days, the vegetable garden and coffee plants wilted, causing great damage to his family.
Mr. Thang said: “I have bought poor quality fertilizer before. At first it was very difficult to distinguish. Because the packaging was the same, but the quality was very poor.”
Mr. Thang added, for example, the garden was green and lush, but after fertilizing, the plants became yellow and less vibrant. Only then did he realize he had bought fake fertilizer.
There are years when after each fertilization, the plants should be greener, but instead the whole garden grows very slowly and has little development.
To return the garden to normal as before fertilization, Mr. Thang had to use fertilizers to detoxify the soil and preparations to restore the garden.
“We can only see and feel fake and poor quality fertilizers through the actual manifestations of the plants. When the garden plants turn yellow and wilt, we change to another type of fertilizer and the plants grow again. From that, we can determine that the fertilizer is fake and poor quality,” Mr. Thang shared.
Mr. Thang added that in the vegetable garden alone, just one batch of fake, poor quality fertilizer can ruin the whole crop. Because when the vegetable plants grow and develop poorly and have weak resistance, they are easily attacked by pests. This means increased investment costs, reduced productivity, poor quality, and he considers that vegetable crop a loss.
Mr. Do Hoang Ha, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Ha Khanh Agricultural Cooperative, Quang Son Commune, Dak Glong District (Dak Nong) is considered the "gatekeeper" for input and output products for farmers, but Mr. Ha himself was also tricked into buying poor quality fertilizer.
Mr. Ha said: “My family bought 2 tons of low-quality Zara fertilizer. But we can’t complain, so we just give up.”
According to Mr. Ha, the first time he bought one ton to fertilize his coffee garden, within a week, the garden was green and lush, with shoots growing profusely. Therefore, he called to order two more tons.
I thought this fertilizer would help the garden grow as expected. However, the coffee garden is flourishing, yielding more than 7 tons per hectare after fertilization. The healthy trees lose their leaves and fruit, while the weak trees die.
Faced with such a dire situation, Mr. Ha seemed helpless. The first thing he had to do was immediately use special fertilizers and pesticides to rescue and restore the coffee garden.
In the following days, to salvage the situation, Mr. Ha tried to meet the agent many times but was avoided and refused to work. At the same time, due to family matters and his parents' illness, Mr. Ha had to put the matter aside.
Nearly 3 months later, Mr. Ha returned with the intention of continuing to meet with relevant parties to work, but the fertilizer company gave many reasons such as: needing intact bags of fertilizer, production batch, using the correct type of fertilizer to fertilize again... Through that, it was determined that the batch of fertilizer killed the plants.
“With that demand, I had to give up and suffer, dragging on more. Because it is very difficult to prove fake, poor quality fertilizer,” Mr. Ha shared.
Farmers' constant worries
The quality of agricultural materials is always a matter of concern for farmers. In addition to the price constantly fluctuating in an upward direction, every time a new crop begins, many farmers are also concerned and worried about fake and poor quality fertilizers.
Besides branded, quality fertilizers, there are still poor quality fertilizers of unknown origin circulating on the market.
Fake and poor quality fertilizers are mainly caused by some profit-seeking traders who mix in and deceive consumers with sophisticated tricks. In reality, farmers are confused by a "matrix" of agricultural materials, especially fertilizers.
According to Mr. Do Hoang Ha, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Ha Khanh Agricultural Cooperative, for farmers, the most fearful thing when buying fertilizer to take care of their gardens is fake, poor quality fertilizer.
When using poor quality fertilizers for crops, not only will the yield be low, but the crops will also be damaged in many ways. This will make the lives of farmers more difficult because their income will decrease.
Therefore, Mr. Ha recommends that cooperative members and farmers should choose reputable fertilizer brands provided by legitimate companies for use.
“People should buy in cash, choose reputable fertilizers to ensure quality. The company also guarantees farmers better than investment fertilizer sellers, which means buying fertilizer first and paying later,” Mr. Ha added.
The current fertilizer market is truly a “matrix” for farmers. Let’s go to an agricultural supplies store and see countless types, from labels to content… If farmers are not consulted, it is clear that buying fertilizer is not simple. Therefore, agricultural supplies traders must take responsibility as a doctor, a reliable support for farmers.
Mr. Pham Tuan Anh, Director of Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Dak Nong province
Chairman of the Board of Directors of Ha Khanh Agricultural Cooperative further recommended that, in particular, people need to change the habit of going to the dealer to buy fertilizer to invest in taking care of their plants at the beginning of the season, and paying at the end of the season. Because when economically dependent, people do not have the right to choose or make requests to buy quality fertilizers. Therefore, people are always at a disadvantage.
According to Mr. Nguyen Anh Son, Duc Xuyen commune, Krong No district, if you accidentally buy poor quality fertilizer, you will suffer huge losses. This is the problem that gives farmers the biggest headache in production today.
Mr. Son said: "The situation of fake and poor quality fertilizers is a constant concern for farmers. Since the beginning of the year, authorities have discovered and punished many agents selling poor quality fertilizers in almost all districts of the province. This proves that fake and poor quality fertilizers are still circulating on the market."
According to Mr. Son, the situation of agents and companies selling poor quality fertilizers still occurs, but people are afraid to report it. Because people are afraid of conflicts, there is not enough legal basis to prove that the fertilizers are of poor quality.
Big impact on the Agriculture industry
In recent years, the province's crop area, productivity and output have increased rapidly, meaning that the demand for agricultural materials has also increased.
In the field of cultivation, on average each year, Dak Nong uses about 2.6 million tons of various fertilizers and hundreds of tons of pesticides, equivalent to an amount of more than 9,000 billion VND.
The quantity and types of fertilizers are increasing; fertilizer dealers and businesses are everywhere. This creates a fertilizer "matrix" and is a big challenge for the agricultural sector today.
Recently, at meetings with National Assembly deputies, voters in districts and cities have expressed concerns about the quality of fertilizers, and poor quality in the area. Thereby, farmers have requested that the relevant agencies regularly inspect and strictly control the trading and production of this product.
According to preliminary assessment of the Department of Agriculture, Dak Nong suffers billions of dong in losses every year due to the harmful effects of fake and poor quality fertilizers and pesticides.
Fake and poor quality fertilizers reduce crop yields, poison plants and lead to land degradation and environmental pollution. Products from gardens using poor quality fertilizers also decline, making it difficult to meet market demands.
Farmers have to pay a lot of money for this fertilizer, but the yield of agricultural products is lower than expected, causing difficulties in production.
According to many people, the current administrative penalties for many businesses trading agricultural products are not enough of a deterrent, leading to a situation of market manipulation of fertilizers.
More deeply, the management, evaluation and supervision of fertilizer product quality is currently still loose, so traders have the opportunity to take advantage.
Currently, in the province, there are 449 establishments qualified to trade in fertilizers. Fertilizer supply is mainly through the level I store system or distributors.
According to Mr. Nguyen Thien Chan, Deputy Head of Dak Nong Agricultural Development Department, the cost of agricultural inputs is very high. Therefore, if fake or poor quality agricultural inputs are used, the impact will be huge and the consequences will last for many years.
“The province has paid special attention to the management of agricultural materials, directing departments, branches and localities to implement many quality management solutions, ensuring the interests of farmers and limiting environmental pollution,” Mr. Nguyen Thien Chan added.
Dak Nong's agricultural area is currently 320,097ha, including 81,918ha of annual crops and 238,179ha of perennial crops. Of which, the main crop areas are: Coffee 141,000ha, pepper 33,800ha, cashew 16,500ha, rubber 24,650ha, avocado 3,300ha, durian 7,000ha...
Source: https://baodaknong.vn/he-luy-tu-phan-bon-gia-kem-chat-luong-o-dak-nong-233743.html
Comment (0)