The Plant Protection Department has announced the temporary suspension of DAP fertilizer imports from South Korea.

In the first quarter of 2023, fertilizer imports decreased by 46.2%, the fertilizer industry faced difficulties for six months, and imported fertilizers saw a 27.3% price drop compared to the same period last year.

According to the Plant Protection Department ( Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development ), DAP fertilizer is subject to Vietnamese regulations and must undergo state quality inspection before import.

In 2022, Vietnam imported 164 shipments of DAP, totaling over 304,000 tons, including 5 shipments from South Korea, totaling nearly 24,000 tons.

In the first eight months of 2023, Vietnam imported a total of 157 shipments of DAP, with a volume of over 248,000 tons, including 5 shipments from South Korea, with a volume of over 15,000 tons.

Reviewing the records of three batches of DAP imported from South Korea in June and July 2023, and the test results provided by Vinacontrol Inspection Company Limited in Ho Chi Minh City, the DAP batches imported from South Korea had the lowest total nitrogen (Nts) content at 17.7%, the lowest effective phosphorus (P2O5hh) content at 45.7%, the highest moisture content at 0.68%, and the cadmium (Cd) content all yielded satisfactory results.

Therefore, according to Vietnamese regulations, the DAP shipments imported in 2023, including the three most recent DAP shipments imported from South Korea, all meet the regulations regarding quality indicators (Nts, P2O5hh, moisture content) and cadmium content (Vietnam stipulates that cadmium content must not exceed 12 mg/kg).

At the same time, it was stated that these shipments are subject to state inspection of imported fertilizer quality before customs clearance. For example, if the cadmium content or any other indicator in the DAP fertilizer does not meet the standards, the goods will be required to be re-exported.

According to the Plant Protection Department, in addition to taking samples for quality testing at ports and border gates, specialized agencies in provinces and cities also regularly organize inspections and checks of fertilizer production, trading, and business activities in their areas.

To date, the Plant Protection Department has not received any reports regarding the quality of DAP fertilizer in general, and DAP imported from South Korea in particular, being substandard.

Therefore, the Plant Protection Department affirms that the information about temporarily suspending the import of DAP fertilizer products from the South Korean market is inaccurate.

The Plant Protection Department stated that all fertilizer imports in general, and DAP fertilizer in particular, from South Korea and other markets are strictly managed and supervised in accordance with the Law on Crop Production and guiding documents, including the Government 's decree on fertilizer management.

According to statistics from the Vietnam Fertilizer Association, Vietnam currently needs approximately 700,000 - 900,000 tons of DAP fertilizer annually as a raw material for NPK production and direct use. Of this, three domestic factories meet about 60-70% of the demand, with the remainder dependent on imports.

China, South Korea, Russia… are currently the world's leading producers and exporters of DAP, and these are also the three main import markets for DAP in Vietnam.

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