Fake fertiliser cuts crop yields

FARMERS’ crop yields are being undercut by unregistered middlemen selling fake fertiliser, and government efforts to combat this have proved ineffective, according to independent research from the Cambodia Development Resource Institute (CDRI). CDRI’s preliminary research, conducted as part of a larger program investigating agricultural policies for rice farming in the Middle Mekong region, found that the most likely place fertiliser corruption occurs in the supply chain is the unregistered mobile operators who buy from importers to sell directly to farmers or small retailers. “There is a very high opportunity for traders to adulterate fertiliser in this process, either by mixing low and high quality products and selling it on as higher quality fertiliser, re-bagging low quality fertilisers in bags labelled with a higher quality brand, and even selling short-weight bags,” stated the CDRI report. … Lim Chheng Lay, vice-chairman of Lim Bun Heng Trading Co, a fertiliser importer and distribution company, estimates 40 per cent of fertiliser currently on the market is fake. …

http://www.phnompenhpost.com/2013030161683/Business/fake-fertiliser-cuts-crop-yields.html