The farmer looks at options for fertilizing

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The prices of urea, potash and phosphate have shot up between a 30 and 40% on international markets since the start of the war in Ukraine, having already reached all-time highs at the end of last year.

local farmers They are already analyzing outlets: they look for new suppliers, use organic fertilizers produced locally, implement technology or even think of bartering as an outlet.

For example, the Chamber of Agriculture of the First Zone prepares training for its associates in the use of organic fertilizer. “All organic fertilizers are extremely functional. Biols (organic fertilizer), for example chicken manure (chicken droppings), cattle manure, guinea pig manure… All are viable”, assured Francisco Chiriboga, president of the guild.

However, he acknowledges that there is a problem. The production of this type of input is still low in the country. “There is not enough to supply the entire agricultural sector,” Chiriboga explained.

Local farmers must work to produce their organic fertilizersChiriboga said, but that will take time. “I hope farmers realize that they must use more and more organic fertilizers,” he added.

“We have to change the way of doing agriculture and one of the issues is the use of fertilizers. There is a lot of local options. Looking back at ancestral knowledge”, said Agustín Zimmermann, representative of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

The Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAG) He assured that through the technicians of the District Directorates, he works in the training and elaboration of bio-inputs with the associations. “There is evidence of a growing interest of farmers in reference to traditional agriculture.”

However, the situation is not so easy. Using organic fertilizers is more expensive, he assured Carlos Chavezpresident of the Board of Directors of the National Association of Oil Palm Growers (Ancupa).

“It sounds very nice, very lyrical, but it is not the solution. It can help in part, but organic fertilizer is expensive,” said the head of Ancupa.

Another problem, according to Chávez, organic fertilizer it does not replace all the nutrients that crops need.

$ 5,3millions
The Government will allocate for the subsidy of packages of seeds and fertilizers for farmers in the country

Entrepreneurs from the banana sector agree on this. Switching to a product that is less effective when it comes to fertilizing can be harmful, said Richard Salazar, Executive Director of the Banana Marketing and Export Association. (Acorbanec).

The banana that is not being cut, given the difficulty of exporting to Russia and Ukraineit is being used as organic fertilizer, Salazar pointed out.

The sector looks at the possibility of barter with Russia, an alternative that was used years ago, assured Salazar. In other words, Ecuador delivers bananas and in exchange receives inputs.

“When bananas were exported to Russia the first time, when those markets were opened, they were exported under that system. Bananas were exported and they paid me with machinery or with other things. It is an issue that we are evaluating,” said Salazar.

Ecuador imports $220 million in supplies from Russia each year, according to figures from the Ministry of Production. Of that total, $175 million correspond to raw materials for agriculture, while $45 million correspond to inputs for industry.

In this context, what has the Government done to deal with the problem? The MAG told this newspaper that under the Undersecretary of Agricultural Production It has among its strategies the National Seed Project, where one of its components is to subsidize packages, which are made up of seeds, fertilizers and supplies according to the item.