Preparations for 2025 spring plowing in full swing in China, with fertilizer producers running at full capacity

Farmers work in fields in Jiaji Township, Qionghai City of south China's Hainan Province, Feb. 19, 2024. Farmers across China are busy with agricultural production as the day of Yushui (Rain Water), the second of the 24 solar terms in the Chinese lunar calendar, came on Monday this year. (Meng Zhongde/Xinhua)

Following the conclusion of the Spring Festival holiday, spring ploughing preparations are underway across China, with fertilizer production running at full capacity to support spring planting and agricultural production for the year ahead.

A fertilizer producer in East China's Shandong Province continued 24-hour operations throughout the 2025 Spring Festival, achieving a daily output of over 1,300 tons, China Media Group (CMG) reported. The company has ramped up coordination with transportation authorities, including rail and road services, to ensure the smooth delivery of fertilizer to farmers.

At a production facility of a subsidiary under China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC), over 400 employees there maintained continuous operations to keep fertilizer and methanol production lines running at full capacity, CNOOC said on Thursday.

Meanwhile, as early as October last year, China National Agricultural Means of Production Group launched its winter fertilizer storage program. The company has since expanded storage facilities in East, South, and Central China to meet the fertilizer demand of farmers. The company has stockpiled nearly 4 million tons of fertilizer to date, according to CMG.

As temperatures gradually rise in late February, China's annual spring plowing and planting season will come, with preparations progressing from the south to the north.

In South China's Guangdong Province, the favorable climate allows rice planting to begin in late February. The planted area is expected to at least match last year's. Preparations for planting supplies, including plastic film, fertilizer, and seeds, provide strong support for the spring planting season, said an agriculture professor at South China Agricultural University on Thursday.

Additionally, coal is a vital raw material for nitrogen fertilizer production, positioning coal companies as a critical player in the fertilizer manufacturing process. China set a record for coal output last year, strengthening the country's energy security while ensuring stable fertilizer production.

According to data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), China's raw coal production reached 440 million tons in December, marking a year-on-year increase of 4.2 percent. For the full year of 2024, raw coal production totaled 4.76 billion tons, rising by 1.3 percent year-on-year.

China consumes over 50 million tons of fertilizer annually, with nitrogen fertilizers accounting for more than 40 million tons, CMG reported on Thursday.

China's 2024 grain output reached a record 1.413 trillion jin (706.5 million tons), an increase of 22.2 billion jin from a year earlier, marking the first time it has exceeded 1.4 trillion jin. The output has remained above 1.3 trillion jin for the 10th consecutive year, according to the NBS.