The market management agencies in several Mekong Delta provinces have raided and detected a large amount of poor quality or fake fertilizers from local producers, which have caused steep losses for farmers using them.
The Tien Giang Market Management Agency last year discovered eight samples of substandard fertilizers, said Do Van Phuoc, head of the institution.
Many products claimed to have an organic content of 20 percent, while the agency’s test later found that the real figure was no more than 15 percent, added Phuoc.
“There are even cases when the potassium oxide content tested was only 0.1 percent, 10 times lower than what was claimed by the producers,” he said.
The Tien Giang Market Management Agency has thus imposed sanctions on five manufacturers, including the SuMo JSC, Sitto Vietnam Co, Can Tho Fertilizer and Chemical Co, Viet Nong Co, and Nong Duyen Co Ltd.
Earlier this year, the institution also found many products faking Lido Thai fertilizer, a brand registered by the Greenfield Co Ltd. These products were found bearing labels such as Lido Korea and Lido Japan.
In Vinh Long, the provincial market management officials also detected tons of poor quality fertilizers thanks to complaints from local farmers.
Le Minh Duc, director of the Long An Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said that only by setting the heaviest penalties on the fraudulent manufacturers can the authorities curb the circulation of substandard fertilizers.
In fact, authorities found it hard to conduct check-ups on all of the fertilizers available on the market since there are too many producers and product brands, said Duc.
“One of the drawbacks of the authorities’ crackdown on the issue is that the manufacturers usually manage to sell out nearly their entire stock of poor quality products before the officials catch them,” he said.
“Meanwhile, the current penalties are not strict enough to discourage the manufacturers from halting their fraud.”
For his part, La Van Be, head of the Ben Tre Market Management Agency, suggested that the government should restrict license granting for fertilizer producers.
“Some small manufacturers only use hoes and shovels in mixing fertilizers, which will not ensure the product quality,” he said.
Meanwhile, Pham Van Du, an official from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, admitted that most of the substandard fertilizers are produced by small manufacturers.
“Moreover, [the products] are consumed mostly in the remote areas of the Mekong Delta, making it hard for the authorities to crack down on them.”
