Currently, only three chemical and biological fertiliser companies are legally registered – Savannakhet Fertiliser Limited, Maliny Agriculture Limited, and Lao Kai Yuan Mining Limited, according to the website of the Ministry of Industry and Commerce. Savannakhet Fertiliser Limited has registered seven products: 21-7-18, 16-16-8, 27-9-14, 21-0-0, 24-9-14, 42-0-0 and 23-12- 12. The products will expire in 2020. Maliny Agriculture Limited has one registered product: Organic compound fertiliser under the trade names 5 Star Maliny Organic Fertiliser and 5 Star Maliny Organic Fertiliser. Their organic fertiliser registration is valid until 2020. Lao Kai Yuan Mining Limited has registered two products, 0-0-60 (K2O potassium oxide ≥ 60 per cent) capsules and 0-0-60 (K2O ≥ 60 per cent) powder with the Lao Kai Yuan trademark, which is valid until 2020.
Over recent decades, overseas entrepreneurs have invested in agriculture, producing crops for export, but many have used vast amounts of chemicals, including fertiliser, which may affect soil quality and impact upon local people’s health. This is especially true of banana plantations in the northern provinces. The government’s policy is to use more organic fertilisers in crop production and accordingly has been encouraging the establishment of facilities for the product in some provinces. Some bio-fertiliser factories have halted their operations in the face of stiff competition from imported chemical fertiliser. Bio-fertiliser is a substance which contains living microorganisms which, when applied to seeds, plant surfaces or soil, promote growth by increasing the supply of primary nutrients to the host plant. Bio-fertilisers add nutrients through the natural processes of nitrogen fixation, solubilising phosphorus, and stimulating plant growth through the synthesis of growth-promoting substances. Bio-fertiliser manufacturers are struggling to expand their production and compete with chemical fertiliser. Significant obstacles range from difficulty in accessing finance, a lack of promotion about the product and flexible tax policies.
Information source: Vientiane Times.
