China scales back chemical fertilizer use

China is scaling back use of chemical fertilizers to cut cost and improve efficiency.

Starting from this year, pilot fertilizer-reduction programs will include corn grown in the northeast and parts of north and central China, vegetables produced in north China's greenhouses and apples grown in the northwest and Bohai Bay area, He Caiwen, an official with Ministry of Agriculture, said on Tuesday.

The programs are part of China's effort to make its fertilizer use peak by 2020, he said, noting excess fertilization is an issue plaguing the country's high added-value produce such as vegetables and fruits.

The application of precision fertilization technologies and increased use of new types of fertilizers such as organic fertilizer will be some of the ways to reduce chemical fertilization, he said.