Popularity of Organic Fertilizer Production

Organic fertilizers are gaining significance across the globe, given the increasing price of chemical fertilizers and need for environmental safety. North America forms the largest market for the biological organic fertilizers and the region along with Europe covers more than 60% of the market, globally. While North America and Europe are the matured and major markets in terms of market share, developing regions of the Asia-Pacific are expected to provide the fastest growth driven by countries like China and India.

With increase in demand for green products and pollution free agricultural products, the term ‘organic’ has become an irresistible trend of modern agriculture and is creating a buzz in the global fertilizers market. Rapid development of organic agriculture coupled with augmenting demand for organic food is expected to increase the demand for organic fertilizers. Organic fertilizers are derived or made from human waste, animal waste or vegetable matter (usually rotten or non-consumable by humans). Naturally-occurring organic fertilizers consist of animal matter from meat processing industries, peat, slurries, manures and guano. As organic fertilizers are extracted from naturally-occurring substances, the risk of environmental damage is low.

Use of organic fertilizers also reduces the risk of diseases in humans, as many fertilizers find their way to human food. Prominent organic fertilizers available in the market include blood meal, bone meal, composites, earthworm castings, bat guano, fish emulsion, alfalfa meal, feather meal and rock phosphate. Selection of organic fertilizers is usually done after determining the nutrients required from the crop.The global market for organic fertilizer has witnessed steady growth in the recent past owing to government support and favorable perception among farmers and end-users. The efficiency of organic fertilizers is slow and long time. As compared to chemical fertilizers, the production of organic fertilizers has less investment and high benefits.