Hanoi (VNS/VNA) - The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has settargets to increase the use of organic fertilisers by the end of next year.

It aims for thecountry to export half a million tonnes of the natural alternative and for thedomestic market to consume three million tonnes by the end of 2020.

The target wasannounced at a conference on August 28 in Hanoi about producing, using andimproving organic fertilisers.

Minister of Agricultureand Rural Development Nguyen Xuan Cuong said the target was attainablebecause Vietnam was on track to export about 100,000 tonnes oforganic fertilisers this year.

Vietnam has exportedorganic fertilisers to 35 countries so far, with the amount increasingyear by year.

Last year, as many as24 enterprises exported 86,000 tonnes, seven times more than in 2015.

Cuong said Vietnamhad great potential due to its raw materials resources.

Each year, theagricultural sector produces about 40 million tonnes of straw, sugarcane andmaize dregs, more than 25 million tonnes of livestock andpoultry droppings and 4.6 million tonnes of rice husks. The country hasabout 36,000 tonnes of brown coal in mines.

If the country couldmake use of these raw materials, pollution in rural areas would be reduced,said Cuong.

“Vietnam shouldchange to a smart, clean and organic agriculture model and consider it anindispensable trend,” said Cuong.

Nguyen Dinh Hac Thuy,chairman of the Fertiliser Association of Vietnam, agreed,saying that with efforts from the central to grassroots level,the country has set up a foundation for organic production.

More than 2,400organic fertiliser products are in circulation in Vietnam, 3.5 times morethan in 2017.

Many organicfertiliser plants were equipped with modern production lines to make high-qualityproducts, said Thuy.

Cuong proposedcompleting policies related to organic fertilisers by finalising the Lawon Cultivation and preferential policies for enterprises investing inagriculture and rural areas.

Hoang Trung, Directorof the Plant Protection Department, said that over recent years, fertilisermanagement has been tightened with a system of laws and policies.

Quality standardswere being compiled including laboratory supervision and fertiliser tests.

Trung said to promotequality organic products, experts should conduct studies on environmentallyfriendly fertiliser, improve the soil and give more training to improvefarmers’ awareness of the long-term effect of organic solutions.

Nguyen Hong Lam,chairman of the Que Lam Group’s board of directors, said that to fosterfertiliser production, it is most important to build customers’ trust.

If farmers avoidchemical fertilisers, they will have better health and clean agriculturalproducts for consumers, said Lam.-VNS/VNA